Nostalgia
by leventis
Summary: Around 12 years in the future, Shikamaru and Ino are both Jounin and discover themselves through looking back in the past. Rated Mature for later chapters. (Implied SasuSaku and NaruHina)
1. Chapter 1

Please be easy on me, I'm really new to this. I'm very open to constructive criticism, so if you feel I should add more to a certain section or take away some, please tell me! Also, if you have any suggestions or anything you'd really like to see, state it in the reviews or private message me. Please enjoy!

I do not own Naruto. Nor do I own the characters Shikamaru Nara and Ino Yamanaka.

...

"Remember our first kiss?" she spoke absent-mindedly as she fingered her long, blond hair. His eyebrows furrowed as he forced one eye open.

"Why?"

"I do."

"Why are you asking this?"

"Just tell me, lazy ass."

He raised an eyebrow at her annoyed tone and slowly closed his eye again. Beside him, he could feel her weight shifting. As her shadow casted over his face, he spoke.

"Where are you going?"

"I have to meet my genin group today, you know? You're not the only one here who's a jounin"

He smirked at her sarcastic and annoyed tone.

"In that case, I'll walk with you. I should really meet mine too" he huffed as he patted himself free of any grass that may have attached itself to his clothes, only to be stopped by her hand.

"That's fine," she snapped, as her palm maintained its position on Shikamaru's chest. "I don't need anyone to walk me, much less you."

He fought the urge to burst out laughing at her tough demeanor. She was clearly mad at him for something, if only he knew what. As she pivoted and walked away, he rubbed the back of his neck and followed her lead.

"Stupid boy", she murmured loud enough for him to hear. Upon hearing this, he transformed his submissive attitude to one of aggression and began to quicken his pace. As he passed her, he stretched out his arm and slapped her rear and proceeded to advance ahead of her.

"Stupid girl", he shouted back at her.

...

"Okay guys, how about we start by introducing ourselves and our dreams and aspirations?!" Ino clapped her hands together as she tried to encourage her genin group to open up to one another.

The silence became overbearing to her as she let out an exasperating sigh, examining the three young shinobi before her. She thought back to her first meeting with Asuma-Sensei and Team Ten.

"Well I'm Yamanaka Ino, but please call me Ino-Sensei or Ino"

Silence.

"Look, although I don't have any past experiences with training genin, I know this much: the bond that will be created between us four will be one of unbreakable power. You are all meant to work with each other", she lectured, "and although you may not like each other now, I'm sure you will grow to respect and love one another sooner than you know! ACTUALLY, I remember my first meeting with my team! God, I couldn't believe that I was paired up with the laziest and fattest ninja of Konoha. I really couldn't stand them at all but now we share the greatest bond…" she rambled.

"Umm, hey, Ino-Sensei?" a young, attractive boy asked. His hair resembled that of the former criminal Uchiha and his bright green eyes gave away the identity of his mother.

"Finally!" Ino exclaimed. "Yes? What would you like to know?"

"You talk too much. It's annoying."

Her mouth dropped as she stared at the boy in front of her.

"You really are Sasuke's son." Ino murmured.

...

"This is so troublesome"

"Shikamaru-Sensei!"

"Hai, what is it, Kushina?"

"I want some real missions, you know?! I want to go and have some action in my life and I'm already sick of these introductions! We already know each other! Can't we spar? Or create a new jutsu? Or… Or.."

The blond twelve-year-old lowered her excitement levels and began to pace around Shikamaru. The older ninja sighed as he evaluated the compatibility of his genin group. They were so different. If only he could find some sort of happy medium.

"Hello?" Kushina poked at her sensei's stomach. "Are you even listening to me? Sensei, I want some excitement!"

Shikamaru looked down to see lilac-colored eyes peering into his.

"Ugh, I'm really tired today. Tomorrow we're going to train." He calmly spoke as he pushed the hyperactive kunoichi away from him. "Kouga! Ayame! The meeting is over for today. Be here tomorrow at 7AM, sharp. We're going to train!" He yelled to his other group members.

"Hai Sensei!" Ayame called out as she ran off in the direction of her home. With Shikamaru's orders, Kushina pouted and dragged her feet behind her as she made her way to the Hokage building to meet with her father.

"Shikamaru!" Kouga called out, running after the older ninja.

He raised an eyebrow in surprise, not expecting an Inuzuka to stay behind with his Sensei. "Is there something you need, Kouga?" He questioned, while making his way to Ino's training grounds.

"Yes, Sensei! I need your advice on woman issues!" Kouga said, balling his fists together, a look of pure determination on his canine-like face.

"You're asking the wrong man, Kouga. I never had much interest in those affairs"

"Just listen! You can give me some insight! She's older, I'm not sure how to handle it!"

"Okay, who is she?"

"So you'll help?!"

"I asked who she is, Kouga"

"She's a goddess. The radiance of her hair is second only to the sun! She has beautiful skin! It's always so nice and soft looking! And her eyes, oh man! But the most beautiful thing has to be her smile! I think I'm in love." The younger shinobi panted as he attempted to keep up with his Sensei's long strides.

"I never knew you were such a poet," Shikamaru joked, "but her name?"

"I don't know… Umm…." Kouga thought as he scratched the top of his head

"I think it was…" He murmured as the jounin made a turn into his destination.

"Sensei! That's her!" Kouga shouted as he pointed towards a figure in the distance.

Shikamaru's eyes widened as his genius mind pieced the puzzle together.

"Oh yeah! Itachi said her name is Ino… Yamanaka Ino!"

Shikamaru gaped at the young genin before him.

"You're just like Kiba." Shikamaru whispered under his breath.

...


	2. Chapter 2

Ino fiddled with her chopsticks as Shikamaru ordered their meals. These past few years that she had given up on diets allowed him to order her favorite meals without any nagging on her part.

"I'm a terrible Sensei!" she exclaimed.

"Hn?" He grunted, caught off guard by her sudden outburst.

"Uchiha Itachi said I was annoying! How will they ever like me if they think I'm annoying?" she ranted, hands flailing around her in exasperation. "I just don't know how I'm going to get through to those kids, they don't like me, and if they don't like me how will they ever love me? Shikamaru, I just want to be like Asuma-Sensei was with us."

The mention of their former Sensei's name caused Shikamaru to tense every muscle in his body. Noticing this, Ino reached over the table and squeezed his hand, causing him to relax into her.

"I'm sorry…" she started.

"Hn," he grunted again. "Ino, listen to me this one time. The reason Uchiha Itachi said you're annoying is because you are…"

"What?!" she screamed, anger levels rising.

"I said listen, woman! If I can grow to love you, so can those little genin", he stated like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Her eyes glistened as she stared at his lightly tanned face, taking in the man she'd been in love with for years. The bored expression he regularly sported was graced with a little smirk, causing Ino to unconsciously smile. Just then, her eyebrow raised, suspiciously.

"Eh, Ino? Are you okay?"

She arched her back, causing her breasts to make themselves more prominent than they already were and leaned over the table, fiddling with her hair, never taking her cerulean eyes off of his hazel ones.

"Did you just confess your love to me, Shikamaru?" she whispered, an evil smirk plastered on her face.

As he reddened, he pushed her back into her seat and stated, "well yeah, I mean we're best friends, aren't we?"

The sparkle in her eye faded with each word he spoke as she replaced her smirk with a less-than-genuine smile.

"Yeah we are, I guess", she whispered.

'How could you be so stupid, Ino! Of course we're just friends!' she mentally slapped herself.

'Fuck, Shikamaru! That was your chance!'

Silence enveloped them for several minutes until Shikamaru saw a figure approach with several trays.

"Your pork is here, Ino" he stated,

"Yeah, thanks."


	3. Chapter 3

He sucked on his tooth as the sake burned its way down his throat.

"That's enough, Shikamaru", her high-pitched voice iterated. "I'll take you home." She grabbed his arm and led him out of the restaurant.

"It's not a woman's job to walk the man, Yamanaka."

"Shut up, you're drunk"

"I'm a Nara, you're acting like you've completely forgotten who my father was!" He pointed his thumb into his chest as he semi-shouted, "I can handle any amount of alcohol this village has!"

She rolled her eyes at his blatant display of intoxication. Unfortunately for the one who walked him to his apartment every now and then, he could not handle his liquor as Shikaku once did. Thinking of him somehow domino-ed into thoughts of her father, and she tightened her grip on Shikamaru's toned arm.

"Daddy…" she whispered.

Hearing this, he halted his dis-oriented steps. Even in his state, he knew she was hurting.

"Ino…"

"Hai, Shikamaru?"

He stood, staring at her blankly. 'Should I ask her what's wrong? No, baka, you already know what's wrong. I should walk her to her apartment, right? She shouldn't be alone at a time like this.'

"Shikamaru?" she questioned, one perfectly shaped eyebrow raised.

"Ino, can you stay the night?"

"What?" she gaped at him. "Shikamaru we haven't done that in so long, though.", a blush creeping onto her cheeks.

"No! No! I don't want that! Not even a little!" He slurred.

"Oh, so you don't find me attractive anymore? Okay! You know what, Shikamaru?" she started, pointing a very stiff finger at his face. "I'll have you know, I'm a very attractive woman and I don't need you to… satisfy myself."

"What a drag, I want you to be there because…"

She stared at him, the thousands of possibilities swimming through her mind.

"I miss Shikaku, you know? I thought you would understand."

Her finger descended from its stiff position and her face morphed into one of worry. Again, she entwined their arms together and guided him to his apartment.

He admired her beautiful features as the moonlight hit her face and wondered how he had ever been so lucky to have his other half in his life, if only just as a friend. His thoughts swarmed of the past situations they had been through together the way it did when he had a few drinks in him. He untangled both their hands and stared at her.

"What?" she asked, wondering if he was consciously aware of his actions. She noticed his face morphing into a goofy smile, one that he would never let escape him if he had full control over his body. She couldn't help but laugh, and proceeded to link her arm with his once again, feeling his security. He didn't allow her and continued to gaze into her captivating orbs.

"You're beautiful, do I ever tell you that?" he asked.

"No"

"You're beautiful."

"Okay Shikamaru, let's go to your place, now" she urged, as the skin on the back of her neck rose.

"What did you ever see in me?" he questioned, still maintaining his balance as she attempted to pull him along.

She gasped, not expecting such a question.

"I don't know." She lied gracefully. "You're just a stupid boy."

"Heh," he laughed and pulled her towards him, chest pressed against her lean yet perfectly curved back. He rested his chin on her head and tilted for a light kiss, all the while, slowly stroking her delicate arms. They stood in silence until he patted her shoulder.

"Take me home, Yamanaka"

...

"God damn, how do you live in such an empty space?" She shouted towards him as she examined the current conditions of his apartment. His living room consisted of one ragged, brown couch and an equally ragged, green recliner. Scrolls were the only things that hung on the wall and aside from that, there were no interesting pieces. "It's so…" she cringed, "bland."

He leaned on the wall and examined her as she examined his living room. "You're not here anymore", he stated throwing his keys onto his counter. "There's no one to decorate the place."

When the words he spoke finally sunk in, she turned to face him and smiled.

"Come on, I'll help you into bed" she said, walking in front of him, towards his bedroom.

He followed suit and began to strip himself of his black, long-sleeved shirt and dark pants, dropping them where he found most convenient. As she reached over his bed to fix the un-made bed covers, she caught a glimpse of her former teammate.

"Still sleeping in just boxers?" she asked in a nagging tone.

"Eh, cut me some slack, it's summer."

Understanding the root of his argument she began to inch her purple skirt down her long, sculpted legs, revealing only her skimpy little underwear. He stared at her and with the same tone she used previously, interrogated her.

"Why do you wear such small underwear? We're ninja, not models, Ino."

"Eh, cut me some slack, Nara, I'm hot." She joked, pulling her shirt off as she made her way to his closet and pulled one of his genin shirts out and slipping it on.

"Come on, off to bed we go, little Shika-kun!" she cooed as she pinched his cheeks, an obvious mockery of him.

As the pair slid under the covers of his bed, she remembered the last time they were in an identical situation. Her thoughts wondered as he wrapped his arms around her waist, an action she was accustomed to at this point. Every breath that escaped from his mouth contacted her, hitting her sensitive neck, sending her into a state of overwhelming sleepiness.

"I remember our first kiss." She heard, before her eyelids became too heavy to hold up.

...

Wow, you guys are awesome! Please keep following along and tell me what you think and if you have any ideas or prompts for other stories, I'd be beyond excited to read and try to do them justice!

Love you all!

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	4. Chapter 4

"He said 7 AM sharp, didn't he?" Kushina whined. "Because right now, it's quarter to eight and where is our Sensei? No where to be seen!" She proclaimed, attempting to get a reaction out of her teammates.

"Shut up, Kushina. You're always talking, don't you ever get tired?" Ayame spit at the too-enthusiastic blond in front of her.

"Honestly, Kushina" Kouga started. "It's too early to be awake anyways and we all know Shikamaru-Sensei is the laziest jounin. Let's just get some sleep, ne Shiromaru? Would you like that boy?" He cooed, allowing Shiromaru to lick the surface area of his face, leaving behind trails of slobber.

"Ew…" Kushina squinted her eyes, cringing at the sight.

Ayame looked at her two teammates, obviously disappointed with her placement. She let out an over-dramatic sigh and raised herself off the ground.

"Hey, Ayame!" Kushina cried, "Where are you going?"

"To Shikamaru-Sensei's apartment. Maybe he's still asleep. If not, I'm going home, I don't need to waste my day here" she calmly stated, right hand resting on her hips.

"Well, wait for us too! Kouga, get up!" Kushina ordered, kicking a peaceful-looking Inuzuka. He grunted before forcing himself up and catching up with his female companions. For the majority of their journey, the genins walked in silence, until Kouga spoke up.

"Do either of you know if Shikamaru-Sensei is dating?" he asked, casually.

"He's not", stated Ayame, her brunette ringlets bouncing as she walked forwards, not bothering to look at Kouga.

"Because me and Itachi have a plan." Kouga declared mischievously, contorting his face to one of an evil look.

The two girls stopped and turned to their male teammate, suddenly curious.

"Tell us the plan", demanded Ayame.

...

The first thing he picked up was the familiar yet out-of-place scent of flowers filling his nostrils. Then he felt her creamy skin pressed against his body, her legs entwined in his and her hand holding his. Then he felt the pounding in his head, which distracted him momentarily from the time displayed on his clock. 8:23.

"Shit!" he screamed. Forgetting Ino still lay asleep beside him, he jumped out of his bed, causing her to fumble along with him, cocooned in his bed sheets.

"What the fuck?" she mumbled. "What's happening?"

"This whole Sensei thing is too troublesome." He picked up the articles of clothing he lazily dropped the previous night and slipped on his pants when he heard a knock at the door.

"Wait a second!" Shikamaru yelled at the door, struggling with his pant button.

"I got it", announced Ino, as she walked past him, towards the door, even more revealed than him. Time slowed as he watched the muscles in her legs and rear flex and relax with her walking movement. Her abandonment of strict diets provided her with a slight jiggle in her tush, that made Shikamaru all the more crazy about her body. He bit his lip, urging himself to mentally photograph this moment.

"Who are you?" he heard a booming voice ask.

"Excuse me?" Ino snapped. "You don't come to someone's door and ask them who they are, little girl." Hand now placed on her hip and eyes seemingly peering into the soul of the individual in front of her.

"Where's my Sensei?"

"Kushina! What are you kids doing here? This is my apartment!" Shikamaru questioned, giving up on the button of his pants.

"Well we should be asking you the same thing, considering we had training today at seven. It's past eight and you're still here." Kushina nagged, glancing at Ino with her last words and walking into the apartment.

"Shikamaru!" Kouga yelled, running towards the entrance. Upon entering he saw her. As the twelve-year-old examined the personification of his love in nothing but a thin, fishnet shirt and lilac, Brazilian panties, his heart rate began to increase. Determined to make a good first impression, Kouga cleared his throat and stuck out his hand towards Ino. "Inuzuka Kouga. It's such an honor to meet you, Miss. Yamanaka Ino"

Ino played along and shook his little hand, causing him to blush uncontrollably.

"You're so much more expressive of your emotions than your uncle ever was, Inuzuka Kouga", Ino revealed, messing with his hair.

"No, I'm a man, just like uncle Kiba!" the young Inuzuka, shaking off the blush that crept onto his cheeks.

"I'm sure you are", giggled Ino, covering her mouth to keep from bursting out in laughter over the young boy in front of her.

As he pouted, Kouga looked over to his Sensei, who was now lecturing Kushina over her blatant rudeness.

"Ino-Sensei, as one of the men of Team 5, I'd like to invite you to our practice today."

Upon hearing this, Shikamaru stalked over to Kouga's figure. "Like hell you would, Kouga! You can't invite someone to a practice without consulting with the whole team. Ino is probably busy today", established Shikamaru.

"No, I'm actually not", Ino replied to the conversation between teacher and student. "Unless you don't want me to come with you I mean, I understand completely"

"Don't listen to this **boy** here, Ino-Sensei!" Kouga ruffed, slapping the arm of his now-infuriated teacher. "Of course we want you to come! Now go on and get yourself dressed!" he ordered, with a cheeky smile.

Suddenly remembering her attire, Ino ineffectively covered herself with her lean arms, mentally asking Shikamaru to require his students to leave the apartment. As though he read her mind, he ordered the young genin to wait for them outside his door, assuring them they wouldn't be long. After shutting the door, he stared at the goddess standing in his hallway.

"So…" she began, bashfully, "do you think you have any of my clothes from when I was living here?"

"Yeah I must have some laying around somewhere" he motioned to his room, giving the feisty blond permission to enter his chamber, although she needed none. "I'll be waiting with my genin outside."

...

A few short minutes later, Ino emerged from the apartment in attire much different from her usual outfit. Her long legs were showcased in her dangerously revealing spandex shorts and she sported one of Shikamaru's old kimono tops, having obviously taken care to cinch the fabric at her tiny waist, showcasing her chest and miniscule waistline simultaneously.

"Is that my shirt?" asked Shikamaru, hiding his awe at her ability to make the simplest outfit look amazing.

"Yeah, I just couldn't find any of mine so I…. I'm sorry." She replied, the tone laced with guilt.

"No, Ino-Sensei! You look good!" shouted Kouga, speaking the words Shikamaru could not. "We gotta go though, Ayame is waiting downstairs, Ino-Sensei", he whispered to the jounin, grabbing her hand and guiding her.

Making their way down the stairs, Ino could see a young kunoichi waiting for the group.

"Ayame?" She asked. "I'm Ino, it's nice to meet you"

The younger genin examined Ino with judging eyes, having caught sight of her teammate and this older woman holding the hands of one another.

"Hmph" Ayame spat.

...

A big thank you to all of the readers who take the time to tell me what they think of my work, I truly appreciate it! It will become more serious, incorporating flashbacks and more intense Feelings and of course, private conversations and actions **if you know what I mean****.**

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	5. Chapter 5

"You're so stupid, Kushina!" yelled Ayame. "Didn't I **just** explain to you that you can't run across the water? It's called chakra control for a reason. God, Kushina!"

"Excuse me, queen of chakra control." Kushina hissed as she wringed her long locks of the water she fell into.

"What?!"

"Nothing, nothing." The Uzumaki murmured as she analyzed the water.

Ino stared at the three genin before her, envious of their chemistry. "They're like we used to be", she grinned.

"What?" Shikamaru asked, astonished. "Chouji and I never had any problems working together as partners. They're like you used to be, still are, actually."

The younger jounin glared at the lazy ninja's face, vexed he didn't acknowledge her tremendous growth and difference in maturity levels from her younger years.

"Of course, you wouldn't be Ino without a little bit of that troublesome quality, now would you?" he smirked, reaching for her golden mane. Her glare faded away as she felt his soft tugging at her long hair.

"Hey Shika-kun?" Ino started, with a feeble voice.

"Hn?"

"Do you think it's too late for me?"

"Too late for what, Ino?"

"You know what I mean! Marriage and a family and love!"

"Is that the order you place them?"

"What? No! You know me better than anyone, Shikamaru! How could you ever think I would put anything above my family? When I have one, that is."

"Troublesome woman, we're barely thirty, I'm sure we have more than enough time to settle ourselves in the lives we want to lead."

"Lives are short for shinobi, Shikamaru."

"It's not about the years, Ino. It's about the happiness."

"I know, it's just the marriage!" She whined, lowering her head on his strong thigh. "Billboard-brow already has Sasuke and they have three amazing children and even Hinata got married to Naruto and just look! We're teaching their children! We're old enough to be teaching our best friend's children. I know they got married pretty fast, I mean, after the war, everything seemed to call for a celebration but neither of us got married! I mean sure, I started to date Kiba and you were fairly busy with missions but why didn't…" She felt a large hand press over her mouth.

"Ino, for someone so confident, you're being very insecure. You'll find someone who treats you right in your own time, it could be he's in your life and you just don't know, or he doesn't know, or neither of you do."

She blinked her bright orbs multiple times in an attempt to comprehend what he told her.

"Don't do it, Kushina." Ayame's distant voice threatened

"So you're saying…" Ino began.

"No! If you have the nerve to lecture me on chakra control then you must be good enough to handle this!" Kushina replied.

"That I should just…" Ino's soft voice whispered.

Suddenly a scream was heard.

"Ayame!" Kouga's blood-curdling yell echoed.

Shikamaru and Ino ran towards the three children, inspecting a bloody Ayame in Kouga's hands

"What happened here?!" demanded Shikamaru."Tell me, Kushina! What did you do?!"

"I thought she could dodge it! It was just a regular kunai, I didn't think it would do any harm!" Kushina explained as her brows furrowing in worry, looking at her wounded teammate.

"Ayame!" Kouga yelled, "it's okay, it's going to be okay!"

"Put her down, Kouga", ordered Ino. He looked at her with confusion and gripped onto his teammate even tighter. "It's a minor wound, let me heal her!" Ino's voice boomed.

With much hesitation, Kouga placed the pained kunoichi on the grassy patch of land, refusing to release her hand. Without complications, the blonde kunoichi healed the younger girl within minutes, explaining to everyone that the wound would not have killed or even truly injured Ayame, in an effort to release Kushina from the guilt she felt.

"I think it's time we go home for today", Shikamaru suggested, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

...

"Give Kushina a break, Shikamaru. You know better than anyone that she would not do anything to hurt her teammates. No ninja of Konoha would."

Shikamaru considered Ino's suggestion and concluded that the loud-mouthed blond beside him had a point.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. So listen, I wanted to ask you something"

"Since when does Konoha's genius have a question for little old me?" she flirted.

"Don't go flattering yourself, I already know the answer but my moral compass dictates that I should probably ask you before going ahead with it." he joked, pushing her with his elbow. "So listen, Ino. I was wondering if we could…"

"Oi! Ino-chan!" a rough voice spoke.

"Kiba?!" Ino yelled, sqinting her eyes to maintain a clearer image of the wolfish man walking towards her.

"It's been so long, Ino! Hey Shikamaru! How's it going? Did I interrupt anything? A date?"

"Pft, as if Shikamaru and I would ever try that again!" Ino blurted too loudly, urging herself to keep the rosy flush at bay.

"Still single, Ino-chan?" Kiba inquired.

"Eh… Yeah?"

"Can we give our relationship another try then? I'll pick you up at 7, tomorrow night. Wear something pretty, Ino", he said confidently, stroking her arm as he made his way past his ex-lover.

"So," Ino coughed. "What was it that you wanted to ask me?"

"I can't remember, it must have been nothing of importance", he shrugged, pouting the way he used to as a child. "I'm going to go watch the clouds, I'll see you later, Ino."

"Wait, I'll come with you!" she suggested. Years of friendship with Shikamaru forced her to enjoy cloud watching, as long as she imagined she was stargazing.

"No, you won't. Go shopping. Buy something pretty."

...

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	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys! Thanks a bunch for the reviews and all questions will be answered in the story! I don't want to spoil anything!

The poem Yoshino is talking about is the following:

"The deer that weds the autumn bush clover they say sires a single fawn and this fawn of mine this lone boy sets off on a journey grass for his pillow."

For this chapter, everything in _italics_ is a memory!

...

The lazy Nara dragged his feet towards his mother's house, keeping up with his weekly visits. As he walked, thoughts of Ino came flooding into his mind.

_"Pft, as if Shikamaru and I would ever try that again!"_

He clicked his tongue against his teeth, shaking away the memory of two hours ago away with no success.

"Troublesome girl", he sneered.

"I hope you're not talking about me", he heard a familiar voice yell.

"Hey mom, what are you doing out in the village? Why aren't you at home?" he questioned.

"I'm just stretching my legs, Shikamaru. I'll walk with you. How are you? Has anything new happened?" she asked, enthusiastically.

"Eh, it's going good. I just wanted to visit you, to make sure you're doing okay or if you needed anything. I'm still here for you, mom."

Yoshino's graying eyes looked over her young son.

"And Ino? How is Ino?" she asked, voice laced with worry.

"She's good."

"Have you talked to her?"

"Yeah, I was with her before I came here."

"I mean about your feelings", Yoshino specified.

Shikamaru halted, staring at his mother with a questioning gaze.

"Your father and Inoichi always said that you two would grow to love each other. The deer and the bush clover", the older woman reminisced. "You know, you used to love that poem. I remember when you two were just children and she would sleep over with you when Inoichi left on missions. You would always read her that poem, she would always say 'Shika-kun? Are we the deer and the bush clover?' and you would…"

"Enough."

"Huh?" Yoshino exclaimed, shocked at her son's abrupt interruption.

"Ino and I aren't together anymore, mom", he spoke through clenched teeth, hands shaking.

"Oh honey", Yoshino began, patting Shikamaru's back lightly. "Even an old lady like me knows you two still love each other. An old lady like me knows you have loved each other all of your lives. Now help me with these keys" she suddenly ordered. Shikamaru noticed they had already made it to the Nara house and took the keys from his mother's hands, gently. After allowing her to enter, Shikamaru made his way to the room he preoccupied in his childhood and adolescence. Closing the door behind him and leaning upon the slab of wood, he sighed heavily.

"Ino", he whispered, "why do you have this affect on me?" he asked, rolling his eyes into his head, a memory reappearing.

_"I really hate this stupid game", Ino whined as Shikamaru took another shoji piece captive._

_"Oi Ino, you're being careless. You'll never beat me like this."_

_"I don't care. Can we do something else?" she asked, analyzing the game board for adequate movements._

_He sighed, sliding the shoji board away from the two sixteen-year-olds. "What do you want to do?" he asked, half-heartedly._

_"I don't know, let's talk." She said, crawling over to the lazy chunin, placing her head on his lap. "Can you believe there's going to be a war?" she asked, fiddling with his slender fingers._

_"We saw it coming, Ino", he stated._

_"Hm", she nodded, agreeing with his blunt response._

_"Shika-kun?" she began, her small hands gripping individual fingers. "Don't die. If you died, I don't know what I'd do" she spoke as her voice began to crack under the pressure of keeping the tears welling in her eyes from spilling. His thumb stroked the soft skin of her hands. "Baka", he feebly joked, "you know I'm not stupid enough to get myself killed."_

_"It's not about being stupid…" Ino whispered, turning her head away from him._

_He stared at the porcelain skin of her cheek as she attempted to hide her tears. Her hair cascaded down his outstretched leg, free of its tight ponytail. He slowly descended his head and kissed her forehead._

_"W-why'd you do that?" She stuttered, face contorted into one of pure confusion._

_He didn't answer but rather grabbed the back of her head, entangling his fingers in her golden locks and pressed his lips against hers. With perfect fluidity, she pushed the rest of her body off of the floor of Shikamaru's bedroom and swung a leg on the other side of him, cradling him. She guided his inexperienced hands down her back through swift arches of her flawlessly toned back. Understanding her intention, Shikamaru lifted his hips off the ground, grinding them into her as she lightly moaned, simultaneously slipping his hands into the band of her perfectly white shorts. Responding, she caressed his chest, lifting his shirt higher with every tug. They broke apart to gaze into each other's eyes before eagerly rising to undress one another. She wrapped her legs around his waist, ripping off the bright yellow tank top to reveal her exquisitely shaped breasts. She dove back into the kiss they had shared, fingering the material of his fishnet shirt, ripping it off shortly after. He ran one hand down the soft skin of her back, to the firm shape of her rear, squeezing tightly. She shuddered, relaxing the flex of her legs, causing her to slide down his height. On her knees, she looked up at him, eyes filled with a look of love and carnal desire. She slipped off her shorts, taking the panties she wore with them and proceeded to unbutton his pants. He took her arm and rose her to her feet, pressing himself against her body, leading her to his bed. As he lowered her onto the soft mattress, she spread her legs, giving him permission to enter her. He inched his way closer to her and stopped, his tip barely touching her flesh._

_"Ino. I'm um… I'm new to this", he stuttered._

_"Shikamaru", She spoke in a soft voice, hand reaching for his cheek and urged him to lower himself closer to her. He followed suit and allowed his nose to touch hers. "I love you", she whispered and thrust her pelvis into him. Her fingers dug into the scared skin on his arms in an attempt to transfer the pain elsewhere. He felt the breakage of skin and mentally noted that he and Yamanaka Ino had just lost their virginities to one another. Slowly, he began to slide his length in and out of her, feeling her clench every time he went too deep. When her pain transformed to pleasure, he began to raise his speed, always looking at her. The way the sweat glistened off of her forehead. The way her blonde hair stuck to her skin. The way her breasts bounced with every thrust he exerted. He took in all of her and just then, he released, moaning as he pushed as far as her anatomy allowed him and finally collapsing on top of her._

He opened his eyes and with his palm, hit the door he was leaning on. "I love you too, Ino."


	7. Chapter 7

Ino sighed, staring at her genin group. 'How can I get them to-'

"Ino-Sensei", Itachi stood, looking down at the ground. "I'm Uchiha Itachi. My ambition is to become the strongest Uchiha in history. My parents were always telling me that before I begin my life as a ninja, I should surround myself with people that love and care for me and create bonds that will last an eternity, so I have a best friend. His name is Inuzuka Kouga. Above my selfish ambition, I want to become a ninja Konoha can be proud of. I will gladly sacrifice myself for Konoha if and when the time comes", he ended, sitting back down on his spot in the grass with a blush tinting his cheeks.

Ino's mouth dropped at the sudden outburst from the young Uchiha. His fellow genin teammates stared at him, astonished.

"I'm Ueda Katsu", a young boy spoke, raising his hand as though waving to his teammates. His jet black hair moving swiftly with every turn of his head.

"I'm Nishimura Saki", the final member spoke up. She twirled her light brown hair in between her nimble fingers, glancing at her teammates.

Ino's eyes brightened as she witnessed her group of genin talking amongst themselves, finally proud of her work as a Sensei. She mentally congratulated herself and convinced herself she could make this team into something amazing.

"There's going to be survival training tomorrow, guys!" Ino exclaimed. "Be sure to be here on time, I will not tolerate tardiness", she warned, wagging her finger at the genin in front of her.

"Hai, Ino-Sensei!" the three shouted in unison and proceeded to walk in separate directions. The one that caught her eye was the young Uchiha.

"Ino-Sensei, do you think we could talk?" he asked, walking towards the blonde jounin.

"Of course, Itachi. Thank you so much for what you did back there, you truly aided the team in growing."

"Mom and dad always say that your genin team stays with you forever."

"Did you know your mother and father were on the same genin team?" Ino asked, motioning for the young boy to sit down in front of her.

"Yes, they always tell me. Just like with you and Shikamaru-Sensei."

"What about me and Shikamaru-Sensei?"

"Mom says you love him."

"Oh does she, now?" Ino asked, anger levels rising.

"Don't you?"

"Huh?"

"Well… I mean, you're always together."

"There's more to love than always being together."

"Yeah but it looks like you always want to be together", the young boy stated, ripping the grass from the ground. A silence overcame them until he spoke again. "There's no more to love than that." He huffed, pushing his weight off the ground.

"I'll see you around, Ino-Sensei", he said as his hand waved goodbye to the woman who sat, dumbfounded at the child's insight.

...

"Nothing is going according to plan" Kouga sneered.

"Yeah, because your stupid uncle had to interrupt the course of action", said Itachi, a hint of anger in his voice.

"Hey, uncle Kiba is not stupid, he's just oblivious."

"Whatever, Kouga."

"Listen Itachi, you're my best friend but hit the Buddha three times and even he loses his patience."

"You two are such children," Ayame huffed, rolling her eyes in the process. "Instead of fighting amongst ourselves, let's find a way to unite our Senseis."

"We should get Shikamaru-Sensei to confess his love!" Kushina suggested.

"Well thanks, captain obvious!" Ayame snapped.

"It's a good start!" Kouga exclaimed.

"Yeah, Kushina's right. We can use Kouga's baka uncle as a means to get Shikamaru-Sensei to confess! If he thinks Ino-Sensei is going to leave his life for good, he'll have no other choice." Itachi explained.

"Exactly what I was thinking", Kushina swiftly lied.

"Uncle Kiba is not a baka."

"But what if Shikamaru-Sensei doesn't? Then Ino will just end up with Kouga's uncle. As his genin, we know him better than you, Itachi. I can safely say that Shikamaru doesn't take any action unless absolutely needed. He's the laziest man ever." Ayame mentioned.

"Shut up, Ayame", Kushina retorted. "Don't act like you know Shikamaru-Sensei so well. My daddy always tells me that he acts like he doesn't care because he cares more than most people. Shikamaru-Sensei has sacrificed himself for Ino-Sensei many times and they dated once. He will eventually confess his love. There is no way Ino will stay with Kouga's baka uncle for long."

"My mom says Ino-Sensei and Shikamaru-Sensei complete each other." Itachi added.

"My uncle is not a baka" Kouga growled.

"So it's decided? We convince Shikamaru-Sensei to confess his love to Ino-Sensei?" Kushina asked excitedly.

"Mm" Itachi nodded.

"I guess so… But if this doesn't work?" Ayame asked

"It will, have some faith, Ayame." Kouga declared, nudging her arm slightly.

"O-okay", the brunette stuttered.

"Okay team!" Itachi said, placing his arm in the middle of them.

"Hai!" yelled Kushina, slapping her hand on top of Itachi's.

"Hai." Kouga muttered, placing his hand on top of the two before him,

"Hai, hai" Ayame grumbled, hesitantly placing her small hand over the tower of hands below it.

* * *

The reviews, follows and favorites mean the world to me, guys! Thanks so much for all the support!


	8. Chapter 8

The blonde jounin squinted at her reflection in the mirror. She twisted her body in an effort to see how the tight white dress hugged her curves. Satisfied with her outfit choice, she walked to her bathroom and took out her curling iron. She sighed as she finger-combed her platinum-colored hair, not nearly as excited as she should have been for her date. She noted that it felt much nicer and softer when Shikamaru combed through her long hair. He never pulled through knots as she was right now. She closed her eyes and tried to get the thought of him out of her mind. As she twirled her hair around the hot iron she began to feel lonely. He hadn't spoken with her all day today, a first. She thought about walking across the street to his apartment and waiting with him until Kiba came for her but quickly shoved the idea out of her head. Releasing the last strand of hair, she made her way back to her room and slipped on one of her nude pumps. He was much taller and she liked that about Kiba. She felt she always had the opportunity to doll herself up when she went on dates with him.

It was never like that with Shikamaru. He never took her anywhere fancy or bought her expensive gifts, all the things Ino adored the most. Yet, she stayed in a relationship with him for almost three years, until a few months before the war began. She slumped her shoulders when she remembered the day he told her they had to break up.

_"Shikamaru!" Ino exclaimed, running towards her best friend and lover. He caught her as she threw herself into his arms, giggling softly._

_"Ino, we need to talk", he stated, voice more serious than Ino had ever heard it before._

_"Of course, let's go to our tree, yeah?" she asked, dragging him towards the tree he watched the clouds under and she gazed at stars under._

_"Okay, it doesn't matter where", he grumbled._

_"You don't seem like you're in a good mood today, Shikamaru."_

_"I'm just a little tired, Tsunade-Sama has been giving me mission after mission."_

_"Did you just get another today?"_

_"Yeah, in two days I leave with Asuma to track down some Akatsuki members."_

_"Shikamaru, are you sure you'll be okay? The Akatsuki are strong."_

_"You said the exact same thing Kurenai said to Asuma."_

_"Mm, women are protective of those who they love."_

_"We're just teenagers, Ino."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"We don't love each other."_

_"What?" Ino whispered, voice smaller than it had ever been in her life._

_"You heard me, there's no way we love each other."_

_"Stop joking around, Shikamaru."_

_"I'm not joking, Ino."_

_"Is this really you? Did Billboard-Brow just transform into you? Very funny, Sakura!"_

_"Ino, it's me. Look, we should break up."_

_"Why?!" the young blonde shouted._

_"We're too different."_

_"I know but I'm okay with that! It's good different! Shikamaru, please don't do this."_

_"Let's just focus on the war, yeah?"_

_"No! No, I want to focus on us too! I'm strongest when I'm with you, Shikamaru. not just my jutsu but every aspect of my life relies on you."_

_"We'll still be friends."_

_"Shikamaru…"_

_"Bye Ino."_

"Ugh", Ino grunted, upset about the past. "So stupid", she growled through clenched teeth as she stomped her other foot into her heel. "If he wants to be a child about me moving on with my life, he can. I don't need him", she assured herself. She heard a knocking at her door and popped herself upright, making her way to the door.

"Kiba", she greeted, smiling at the handsome man before her.

"You look amazing, Ino" he complimented her. "I hope you're hungry."

"Starved", she stated, shutting the door behind her.

...

She barely paid attention to the words Kiba spoke that night, her mind on Shikamaru's brutal termination of their once-relationship. Occasionally, she would nod and smile when she saw Kiba holding back a laugh from his own stories but mostly stared at the glass of wine she was drinking like water.

"You don't seem like you're very interested in what I have to say, Ino-chan." Kiba mentioned.

"Huh?"

"I said you're not having fun on this date."

"No, I am! Don't I look like I'm having fun?"

"You look pre-occupied."

"I'm not, I'm totally occupied with you right now", she assured him,

"You don't have to lie to me. I know exactly what you're feeling right now."

"No, you really don't."

"Ino, listen to me, as someone who loves you as a friend first and a lover second."

"Hm?"

"You need to tell Shikamaru how you feel.."

"What?! There is nothing going on between Shikamaru and I!"

"I know, that's the problem."

"What are you saying, Kiba-kun?"

"I'm not completely stupid, you know? I know you only dated me after the war as a means to get over Shikamaru."

"Th-that's not true. Who told you that?"

"No one needed to tell me, it was clear to me. You need to know one thing though, Ino."

"What is that?"

"The reason Shikamaru broke up with you that day…"

"You know about that?!"

"We've discussed it as a group, yes. That's not the point. Look, Shikamaru didn't do it because you two are too different."

"Why else would he have done it then?" Ino asked, voice cold.

"He heard Asuma-Sensei and Kurenai-Sensei talking, yeah? Kurenai-Sensei told Asuma that it was missions like these that made her regret falling in love with a shinobi."

"That's not a reason."

"He didn't want you to worry, I guess. I don't know, I told him to go and ask for you back."

"What? Why would you do that?"

"I guess you two just complete each other. No other woman makes that man do anything. Listen, Ino, I have to go but think about what I said. Re-evaluate your relationship with him, and ask yourself if you're willing to sacrifice the love of your life because of your pride."

"Kiba…"

"Ino-chan, I'll always love you but you have to do what you feel is right. You have to go tell Shikamaru that you've always loved him", the wolfish man said with a smile. As he rose from his seat, he walked over to Ino's side of the booth and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

"I'll see you soon, Ino, hopefully with Shikamaru. Ja mata ne"

* * *

Thanks for all the reviews, I'm so glad you like the story and the kids!

There's more to come but the reviews always speed things along!


	9. Chapter 9

The lazy ninja stared at the ceiling of his bedroom, completely engrossed in thoughts of Ino and her date that night.

"She's probably having a great time" he sneered to himself, turning his body over to lay more comfortably. No matter what position he moved himself into, the smell of her intoxicated him. He thought about changing the sheets but refused to, wanting to keep her presence there as long as he could. He furrowed his eyebrows and envisioned her smiling and laughing with his close friend. He imagined how happy she must have been, finally having someone take her out on a proper date for the first time in years. He exhaled heavily at the thought that he never cared enough to spoil her the way she always wanted to be spoiled. He then grinded his teeth at the thought that even though he never treated her the way she deserved, she still said she loved him. 'She's done more than that', he thought, 'she's shown she loves you.'

"You baka", Shikamaru said to himself, rubbing his eyes furiously. "How could you push her so far away?" He growled, remembering the first time they spoke after he left her.

_It seemed as though no matter how fast he ran, he was getting nowhere. Although a mere moment, it seemed like an eternity as he watched his Sensei die before his eyes. He then felt a soft hand touch his shoulder. There were no words from her, just a sad face. He stared at her until he re-discovered his ability to speak. _

"_Ino…" he whispered_

_She looked at him, tears glossing her eyes and shook her head. She turned away, raising herself off of her knee and ran towards her injured Sensei. _

"Fuck!" Shikamaru yelled, punching the pillow he laid his head on. Fighting the tears streaming down his cheeks, he walked to his closet, chose the first jacket he saw and made his way to his only sanctuary when Ino was not there.

...

It wasn't long before he made it to his mother's house and paused only when he heard a familiar voice inside.

"Yoshino-okaasan, I don't know what to do anymore" he heard the feminine voice crying.

"Hush, hush"

"I, I just, I just don't know! I never wanted this to happen to us h-how did it end up like this? I really did love him. I re-really do love him! Why doesn't he care about me, Yoshino?"

Shikamaru's heart skipped a beat when he finally decoded the voice.

"This pain is too much, I wish I never met him! I wish we never got put on the same team!"

"Ino…" Shikamaru intruded.

Her blond hair, messily knotted into a bun on the crown of her head slightly shifted as she swiftly turned to make sure her ears were not deceiving her. Her normally bright blue eyes looked gray and clouded. He noted that she wasn't wearing makeup, but realized quickly it must have been washed away from the tears she was crying. Her shoulders uncharacteristically slumped gave him the impression she was exhausted.

"Shikamaru." She said quietly.

"Ino, we need to talk." Her heart raced as she heard him repeat the words he said so many years ago that lead to her first heartbreak.

"Let me just freshen up" she said.

"You don't need-"

"I want to", she interrupted, pushing past him, walking towards the small bathroom.

Yoshino stared at her son as he contemplated the words he was going to say to Ino once she came out of the washroom.

"Shikamaru", she whispered, motioning for him to come closer to her.

"Mom? What's wrong, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, baka, I'm not the one who was just crying", she snapped, obviously referring to Ino. His heart felt like lead by the end of his mother's sentence, aware that the troublesome blonde was crying for him. "Now, when you talk to her, just tell her the truth. She, above all people, deserves to know."

He nodded as he stepped out of the house in an effort to organize his thoughts. The faint sound of footsteps approaching him caused him to lose concentration and as he turned, he saw her standing there.

"What did you want to talk about?"

"I just wanted to clear some things up."

"Okay."

"Well, see, it's basically about us. Not as friends but as, you know-"

"Why'd you lie to me? Why didn't you tell me the truth when you left me?" she snapped at him.

"Ino, I-"

"Don't interrupt me, baka! I have never done anything to you to deserve the emotional turmoil you've put me through."

"Ino…"

"Didn't I just say to not interrupt me?!" she shouted, tears streaming down her face, her little finger poking at his hard chest. Her knees began to weaken as her strong finger clung onto the material of his jacket, her whole hand eventually following suit. She cried into his chest and he held her tight to him.

"I loved you so much", she whispered through silent sobs, clenching his jacket as she said the words. He squeezed her petit frame closer to him as a form of acknowledgment of her words.

"I…" Shikamaru began, voice cracking with emotions he tried so desperately to hide. "I love you, Ino"

* * *

It's a pretty short chapter but the next one will be longer I promise you! Thank you for reading and reviewing my story, it means so much to me!


	10. Chapter 10

She gasped as she heard the words escape his mouth. Still holding on to him, as though her life depended on it, she rotated her head to better see the man before her. The moonlight accentuated all the features she loved most about him like his manly jawline and piercing eyes that softened only for her. She rose her heel until only her toes touched the ground, allowing her to narrow the gap between his face and hers. One shaking hand made it's way behind his neck as she pulled him closer to her. She pressed her forehead against his, her lips grazing his lightly.

"Shikamaru, I can't", she broke apart from him.

"Huh?" Shiakamaru questioned, every muscle frozen.

"I can't."

"No no no. Ino don't do this. Please, don't leave me."

"Shikamaru, I… Why do you want me with you?"

He stood, silent. He contemplated the words to speak.

"Come on, I know exactly where we can go", he said, allowing her to wrap her hand around his finger as he guided her to a place she knew all to well.

"We haven't been here in so long", she mumbled.

"Hm, It's been almost fifteen years."

"Yeah."

The two stared at the view before them. Shikamaru had taken Ino to a secluded place in the Nara forest, where he knew they would have privacy. On the water, the moonlight shined, giving the entire area a magical aura. Ino took in all the tiny details of the place. The manner in which the water of the pond reflected the light of the moon so perfectly on the tree that Shikamaru and Ino spent hours looking and clouds pass and watching stars shimmer in the dark night. She noticed the little garden she planted with him when they were no more than seven years old. The flowers were blooming, a sight that took her breath away. Lastly on the tree she noticed the carvings.

_"Oh, Shika-kun. It's perfect!" a seven-year-old Ino beamed. She stood back and admired her handy-work, twirling a kunai with her fingers. _

_"Where'd you get the kunai, Ino?"_

_"I took it from my daddy's pouch. It's okay, he has tons!"_

_"Is that safe?"_

_"I'm not hurt", she said, temper rising at his lack of acknowledgement of her efforts. "Look at what I did, Shikamaru", she ordered._

_"Hn?"_

_"Look at my carving!"_

_"Eh after my nap."_

_She glared at him, frustrated with his unbreakable laziness. She walked over to her lazy friend and towered over his little, relaxed body._

_"Ouch! Troublesome girl, why'd you do that?' Shikamaru yelled, rubbing the area Ino had just kicked him._

_"You didn't even bother to look at what I did for us."_

_"I don't want to!"_

_"Shika-kun! Don't say that or one day I'll stop doing things to make you happy."_

_He stared at the pouting face directly above his. He sighed heavily and pushed his torso off the ground._

_"Okay", he groaned. "Show me what you did for us."_

_Her face brightened at his words and she automatically reached for his hand and pulled him to his feet. She placed him in front of the tree and tried to nudge a reaction out of him._

_"What do you think, Shika-kun? Do you like it?"_

_Shikamaru stood staring at the inscription on the bark of the tree. _

_"Shikamaru and Ino? Why'd you put a heart?"_

_"My daddy says that when you love someone, you give them your heart."_

_"Your dad said that?"_

_"Mhm, he says when my mommy was alive, they had a secret meeting place where they would give each other their hearts. We have a secret meeting place too, Shika."_

_"You're giving me your heart?"_

_"Yup! Are you going to?"_

_"Going to what?"_

_"Um", Ino blushed. "You know… Give me your heart?"_

_"Do you want me to?"_

_"I mean, only if you want me to, Shika-kun."_

_"Hn."_

_"Actually, it's okay! Don't give me-"_

_"You talk so much, Ino-chan", a young Shikamaru huffed, reaching for her small hand with one hand and the kunai with the other. "From this day forward", he began, "you have my heart."_

_With the kunai, he carved another, misshaped heart in the tree trunk._

_"Ew, what an ugly heart", Ino joked._

_"It's okay", he smiled, "you can make my heart prettier"._

"Huh…" Ino scoffed, turning away from the tree. "What do you want, Shikamaru?" she asked, coldly.

"Ino, I want to apologize about the way I've treated you in the past. I always acted as though you were a child who couldn't handle the real world. My biggest mistake was not telling you the truth about how I felt about you and not only hiding those feelings, but lying to you and making you believe I didn't have those feelings for you. When I left you, before Asuma died… I thought it was for the best. I thought I was protecting you from feeling the pain Kurenai was feeling… Is feeling… Will always feel… Because the love of her life is gone, forever. I couldn't tell you the truth because you would never move on knowing I harbored these feelings", he paused, unable to think of more to add to his apology. He furrowed his brows in an attempt to conjure more words, disappointed at his genius brain for failing him at such a delicate time. He looked around and caught sight of the carvings on the tree, grinning slightly. "Yamanaka Ino", he recommenced, reaching for her hands. "You have my heart. It's been yours since our childhood and I couldn't think of anyone better to give it to. You've made my heart beautiful, Ino. You and you alone have shown me unconditional love, taught me how to appreciate the people around me before they leave my life for good. You always pushed me to do something with myself, whether it was when we were students at the academy and you would write down an extra set of notes for me so I wouldn't fail classes, even though you knew I never used them. During the Chunin Exams, you risked getting caught cheating to give me and Chouji the answers to the first exam and you were the only one who believed that I could defeat Temari in the third exam. You always cook lunch when we train, just to make sure I'm eating healthy. You urged me to become Jounin because you thought that I was wasting my potential. I can name everything you've done for me, Ino. I acknowledge all that you do. I'm sorry it took so long for me to finally thank you but I'm here now. I want you to know that no matter how troublesome you are and how often you yell at me, I want you in my life and I'll put up with all of your flaws and annoyances if it means I can see you smile at me the way you do every day." Shikamaru inhaled deeply, not used to speaking so much about such personal matters.

She bit her lip to keep from allowing more tears to escape her, head hanging low. "Shikamaru", she began, "I'm scared you're only saying this because you're going to lose me. I deserve more than that. I deserve someone who gives a shit about me. Don't tell me these things when historically, you've never shown me." She began walking away from him, detaching her hands from his. "I'm leaving, Shikamaru", she stated, voice small and cracking, "because I can't handle this anymore."

* * *

Tons of angst! Don't worry though, you won't be disappointed with the chapters to come, I promise things will start looking up.

The reviews always make me smile, I love reading the suggestions and what you guys think and I take them all into consideration. The plot for this story changes every time I read a perspective as to how Ino should react or what Shikamaru should do. You all truly help to make this a great story, I can't thank you enough!


	11. Chapter 11

"I don't know what you expected from her", Naruto mumbled in between slurps of his ramen. "Women don't wait around forever, Shikamaru. Especially not ones like Ino-chan!"

"True", Sasuke agreed. "I never liked Ino that way. That being said, I never hated her."

"That's saying a lot, Shikamaru!" Naruto yelled, slapping Sasuke's back.

"I know but I'm lost." Shikamaru groaned.

"Hm, yewr genius bran cawnt figwer thes out?"

"Naruto, for god's sake don't speak when you're eating your ramen", Sasuke spewed, pushing Naruto's face away.

"I said", Naruto retorted, pushing Sasuke's face back, "that your genius brain can't figure this one out."

"Hn", Shikamaru replied.

"Listen to me, Shikamaru, I got a lifetime of knowledge", Naruto boasted.

"Whatever, shmuck, you had your first kiss at 19", Sasuke snapped.

"Hinata is a quality woman!"

"It's still not a lifetime of knowledge!"

"Kage Bunshin No-Jutsu really speeds up the process" Naruto smirked.

"Baka…" Sasuke sneered. "Listen to me, Shikamaru. You just need to-"

"Show Ino-"

"She's important to you." Sasuke shouted.

"How?" Shikamaru questioned.

"Seriously?" Sasuke snapped. "Make her feel special!"

"Sasuke's right, Shikamaru. Ino likes flowers so buy her flowers."

"From her own flower shop?"

"I don't know, this is your problem not mine", Naruto shrugged. "The Hokage title doesn't mean relationship expert."

"You're always contradicting yourself, baka", Sasuke joked. "What happened to having a lifetime of knowledge?"

"Why don't you help him out then, Sasuke?"

"Nara, you have to pull off the best date ever. Include elements from your pasts, your presents, and your futures. She loves you right? Just show her you love her. You have to keep that up though. She wants to be acknowledged and loved. That's all the ladies want." Sasuke stated. Naruto nodded with every word he spoke, resembling a bobble-head.

Shikamaru dwelled on the Uchiha's words. "How do you know this?"

Sasuke pushed himself off of the stool, throwing his money for the ramen on the counter. "Eh, I love a woman too" he said, shoving his hands in his pockets and walking away.

"I hate when he acts cool like that", Naruto mumbled.

"Naruto I'll need your help for this." Shikamaru said, ignoring the blonds comment.

"What can I do for you, Shikamaru?" he asked, ordering another bowl of ramen.

"You need to-"

"Shikamaru-Sensei?" an unfamiliar voice spoke.

"Heh? Who are you?" Shikamaru asked.

"Itachi! How are you?! It's been so long!" Naruto yelled, patting the top of the Uchiha's head. "Your dad just left!"

"I know, I need to talk to Shikamaru-Sensei."

"Huh? Why?"

"It's private."

"Okay I'll leave you two then", Naruto said, grabbing his bowl of ramen and walking away. "I'll talk to you later, Shikamaru!"

"Bye Naruto-san! Say hi to Kushina for me!" Itachi exclaimed, a blush creeping on his face.

"Hai! See you around, Itachi!"

"What did you need, Itachi?"

"I heard what happened between you and Ino-Sensei."

"Where'd you hear that?"

"I was eavesdropping."

"You look like your dad but you act like your mom, you know that?"

"I'd like to think I'm a little bit of both."

"Hn."

"I can help you, you know?"

"You're just a kid."

"I'm a kid she sees every day", Itachi said, un-phased by Shikamaru's comment.

"What do you think you can do?" Shikamaru asked, slightly ingrigued.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Uh…"

"You don't know what to do, do you?" Itachi asked, squinting his bright green eyes.

"Why do you want to help me with this, Itachi?"

"I can tell her that Saki, Katsu and I are going to train at the hill. She'll come."

"Listen kid-"

"Ino-Sensei loves picnics. There's a flower field down the hill, too. She told us that she goes there to relax."

"Yeah, okay-"

"Then you can take her out on a real date. She's been talking about this play she's wanted to watch for a while now but she's too shy to go alone."

"Itachi, listen here."

"What?"

"I don't need your help to win Ino back."

"Yeah, you do. Sometimes **kids** know more about love than adults."

"That's not true-"

"I always thought you were really smart but you're a bigger baka than Kouga's uncle."

"Heh?! Bigger than Kiba?"

"Yeah. At least Kiba-san accepts advice."

Shikamaru glared at the smug child beside him. "Fine…" He gave in. "Tell Ino to come to the hill at 5."

"Hai, Sensei!"

* * *

Yeah, the kids are getting involved again! I'll try and update again tonight but I'm not sure I can due to homework!

Thank you for the reviews and if there's something more you'd like to see, write it in reviews or private message me!

**Read, Review & Follow!**


	12. Chapter 12

She was awakened by the sharp ringing of her alarm clock. Blocking the sunlight from her eyes, she tried to hit the snooze button. After several failed attempts, she dragged herself out of bed and unplugged the clock. 'I might as well shower', she thought to herself as she stripped her pyjamas off of her body.

"Ino-Sensei!", a girlish voice boomed.

"What?! Who?! Oh my god. You're so stupid, Kushina!' Ino yelled, covering her breasts with her small hands.

"I'm sorry. Were you doing something?"

"What... Did... You... Want...", Ino growled through clenched teeth, searching for a towel she could wrap around her exposed body.

"Well I was wondering if our team could train with you today? Shikamaru-Sensei said he's busy with a plan or something."

"Huh? That's all? Of course you can train with us. We're meeting at our regular training grounds."

"No. Me and Itachi wanted to go to the waterfall."

"That's at the boarder of the village", ino groaned.

"My daddy said he learned true chakra control there."

"I don't care what your daddy said", ino whispered to herself.

"What?"

"Nothing. Fine. I guess-"

"We'll see you at the waterfall at five o'clock, Ino-Sensei!" Kushina yelled before jumping away.

...

Ino slowly walked towards the waterfall, wondering what Shikamaru could possibly be doing if his kids had to train with her. 'Did he meet someone?', she thought, slightly frowning at the idea. 'So I was that easily replaced?', her thoughts domino-ed. Nearby her location, she heard the rushing of water and mentally noted she was close to where she needed to be. Her mind drifted once again as she was bombarded with thoughts of three nights ago as she fiddled with the stem of a flower in her hands. He had been leaving bush clovers on her doorstep every day since then. At least, she thought it was him, there was no way to know. She kept them all, and every day when she woke up, they stared at her, almost urging her to speak to him, if only to ask why he was placing flowers in front if her door. She ignored the temptation and convinced herself she would be okay without him in her life. 'Of course you'll be okay, Ino', she assured herself again. Suddenly she bumped into a large object.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" She apologized, not looking to process who she bumped into.

"It's fine", a familiar voice spoke.

"Sh-Shikamaru? Kushina told me you weren't going to be here today", she stuttered, pointing at the small blond before them.

"Yeah but all the preparations were done early so I came today."

"In that case, I'll leave."

"No, Ino-Sensei! You can't go", Saki shrieked. "You said you'd help us train", she added, regaining her composure. Ino looked at her student with confusion. One eyebrow raised, Shikamaru stared at the blonde before him, waiting for her answer.

"Fine", Ino groaned.

...

"How are you, Ino?" Shikamaru started, as he sat down beside the blonde beauty, both staring intently at their genin teammates.

"Good."

"Have you been getting my gifts?"

"What gifts?"

"The bush clovers."

"Oh that was you? I never expected it", she lied elegantly.

"Hn. Bush clovers only grow in the Nara forest."

"I didn't know", she lied again, "thank you for the information."

He nodded slowly as he slouched foreword, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Can I ask you something, Ino?"

"Hm?"

"It's actually a request."

"What is it, Shikamaru?"

"Can I take you on a date?"

"What?", she semi-yelled, completely shocked.

"It will be worth your time this time, Ino."

"I'm not sure about that."

"I am. All I need is one last chance."

She stared at him and looked away, refusing to give him an answer. After a long moment of silence, she coughed out an answer.

"What?" Shikamaru asked immediately.

"I said, fine."

He felt his face contort into a large smile that he could not control. "Ino", he began, entwining her fingers with his. "I won't let you down. Never again."

* * *

I'm sorry it's so short! I did write another short oneshot to make up for my recent inactivity though! Ill update this weekend, since I have much more time. Thank you for all of the reviews and follows and faves, you are truly the best!

**Read, review, follow and fave**.


	13. Chapter 13

He stared at the ground, nervously bouncing his leg as he checked the time for the tenth time.

"You seem nervous, Shikamaru-Sensei", he heard a small, feminine voice speak.

"Ayame? I'm just waiting for Ino."

"Today is your big date, don't mess it up." Kouga suddenly spoke, jumping down from the roof of a building.

"I don't plan to", Shikamaru chuckled.

As two of his genin students walked closer towards him, he felt a sense of security. He smiled, realizing how much they meant to him. "You know," Kouga half-whispered, interrupting his thoughts, "Ino-Sensei really does love you and we all planned this awesome date. I wouldn't be so nervous if I were you, Shikamaru."

"You all really helped me out with this."

"What else are student for if not to set up their Senseis?" Ayame giggled, resting her head on Kougas shoulder. Shikamaru laughed as he remembered the plots Team Ten planned out to get Asuma and Kurenai to make their love public. "Ayame? Kouga? Are you two..." Shikamaru questioned as he noticed Ayame playing with Kouga's nimble fingers, '... Dating?" Kouga's eyes brightened as a blush appeared on Ayame's face. "Hell yeah, Sensei! We make a cute couple, ne?" Kouga yelled as Ayame punched him lightly. Shikamaru was shocked at the choice of words, too familiar to Ino's exclamation when Asuma asked if they were dating so long ago.

_"Are you dating Kurenai-Sensei?" Ino asked abruptly._

_"Eh? I uhh, umm..."_

_"So yes then? I told you, Shikamaru! You owe me dinner!"_

_"How troublesome, he didn't even say yes, Ino."_

_"Yeah but he didn't say no!"_

_"That doesn't mean anything, you haven't won the bet", Shikamaru sighed, scratching the back of his head while mentally calculated how much money he had left for dinner with Ino._

_"Don't be a cheap bastard, you lazy ass!" Ino yelled, jumping on Shikamaru's back in an attempt to knock him down._

_"Get off me, woman! You're not heavy enough to bring me down!"_

_"Really?" Ino asked, eyes gleaming. "Because I've been trying this new diet and it's supposed I make me lose ten pounds in one week! I guess it's working!" she rambled, caressing her already thin body._

_"Your body is perfect just the way it is when you don't go on diets, Ino." _

_"Eh? But... Boys like thin girls, ne? Don't you like thin girls?" she asked, fiddling with a button on his flak jacket._

_"I am dating Kurenai", Asuma blurted out, "but if you tell anybody I will... Stop being your Sensei."_

_"What a lame consequence, you know Tsunade-sama would never let you do that even if you wanted to", Ino called his bluff. "So Shika-kun, where are you taking me for dinner?", she asked, looping her arm around his strong, tanned one._

_"Hey!" Asuma exclaimed, eyebrows raised and cigarette hanging on only by the moist sections of his lips. "Are you two?... Ino and Shikamaru? A Nara and a Yamanaka?" _

_Shikamaru stared at the babbling adult in front of them and rolled his hazel eyes. "It's troublesome but, OW!"_

_"Don't you ever call this relationship troublesome, Shikamaru", Ino warned, retracting her elbow from his abdomen._

_"How t-" Shikamaru started until he caught sight of Ino's glaring blue eyes. "Terrific. Our relationship is terrific, Ino", he saved himself._

_"Damn right it is", she huffed, sticking her nose in the air. _

_"Wait a second", Asuma ordered, taking a long drag of his cigarette. "So you two are dating?" _

_"Aren't we such a cute couple?" Ino beamed, pinching Shikamaru's cheek._

_"It's about time!" Asuma chuckled heartily, sticking his hands in the pockets of his pants. "You've only waited for 12 years, Shikamaru", he joked._

_"Eh! Asuma! Th-that's not true, Ino. I have not waited 12 years! I-" he began, only to be cut off by Ino's soft lips. _

_"12 years, eh?" she asked, eyes seductively lidded and eyebrow raised as her lips remained puckered._

_"Yeah", he smirked, "12 long years."_

"You two make a great couple", Shikamaru smirked at the young couple before him.

"Yeah, I know", Kouga grinned, resembling Kiba. He entwined his fingers with Ayames and proceeded to raise himself off of the bench they were all sitting on. "I'm liking the new clothes, Shikamaru", he said before walking away.

Shikamaru looked at the outfit he had bought for this specific date, not sure if it looked good on him. Sakura had assured him Ino would love it and that he looked great in it and he trusted her when it came to matters such as these. He wanted to show Ino he was serious this time around. The white v-neck shirt accentuated his perfect tan and the beige khaki pants were simple yet elegant enough for what he had planned during the day. He closed his eyes and calmed his mind.

"Shikamaru?" he heard a familiar voice call. "You dressed up?" She exclaimed, ashamed she failed to do so.

"Um, yeah. I just wanted to-"

"I'm so embarrassed! Can you wait until I change?" She asked, covering her usual purple outfit with her hands.

"Hm, yeah", he whispered, eyebrows lifting as his mouth formed an unavoidable smile. He smiled for the way she tripped as she tried to pivot to head back home. He stared for the way that she sprinted back in order to keep him waiting for the least amount of time as possible. He felt his heart melt for the unconditional love she never failed to give him. He fell harder in love when he saw her turn around and smile at him.


	14. Chapter 14

'I can't believe he dressed up!' Ino thought, a goofy smile plastered on her face as she ran home. She internally decided she would wear her new a-line, backless floral dress with simple nude flats. She would put her long blonde tresses in a ballerina bun and pin back her bangs. She mentally noted that he always said he liked it when they were out of her face. She reached the door to her apartment and noticed another bush clover taped to her door. She blushed as she processed that he didn't give up showing his affections even though she agreed to go on the date. Hand over her heart, she let out a great sigh and assured herself this time around would be different.

...

He stared at the clouds above him and fiddled with the object in his pocket. The blue of the sky reminded him of her bright eyes and he found himself smirking at the thought of her. He rehearsed what he was going to say to her a thousand times last night with Naruto only to be given a weird look by Hinata. He was sure he knew exactly what he was going to say to her. His nervousness melted away as he recited the speech over and over again in his mind, nodding his head with every successful sentence.

"Okay, I'm ready, Shika. Are we going to Ichiraku's?"

He gaped at her. Her hourglass figure was perfectly flaunted in the dress she chose and the color made her skin glow. He noticed she pinned her bangs back, the way he loved. As her question processed in his mind, he felt his heart lighten. He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled as he answered her question. "Not exactly", he said, reaching his hand out for hers. She complied and he guided her behind a tree by the bench he was sitting on.

"A picnic?!" Ino exclaimed, her mouth forming an 'O'. He snickered and laced his fingers with hers before walking up a hill. At the bottom of the other side she saw the most beautiful setup she had ever seen. A large, light green cloth was laid down and held by four large rocks on either corner. A bouquet of flowers was placed in the middle of the fabric, complete with all her favourite blossoms. She squeezed his hand and looked up at him the way she would when she was a child.

"You did all of this... For me?"

"Sort of. I mean Sakura helped me with the flowers since I couldn't buy them from you and TenTen helped me cook the meal. She's really quite good and-" he was cut off by her small yet powerful embrace. Her feet hung off the ground and he held her waist in return.

"I'm hungry", she stated, eyes looking lovingly into his. He struggled to remember the last time she looked at him like that and concluded it had been too long. He wanted her to look at him like that every day for the rest of his life. He pulled her closer and kissed her forehead, slowly lowering her back to the ground and letting her run towards the setup.

"So", she started, plopping on the soft fabric, "what feast have you prepared for us today, Shikamaru?"

"Well I have some pork and vegetables since I know you love pork and cherry tomatoes, you like those yeah? I made some mackerel but if you don't like it you don't have to eat it. TenTen didn't make the mackerel so it might not be that good. For desert I made some pudding but I know you'll like it, I used the same recipe you made me learn when we were twelve."

"You remembered my favourite foods?"

"I remember everything, Ino."

"... Why?"

"Because I love you", he replied naturally.

"Hm."

"Sorry it took so long."

"Better late than never, right?" she half-asked.

"But never late is better and I promise you, after today I will never make you wait for me."

"I know" she said, nodding her head confidently.

He felt relieved and opened the basket for her, motioning for her to dig in.

...

"So", she said as she crawled towards him, laying her head on his lap. "Do you have any more planned for us today?"

"I do."

"This is already so much. I'm thinking you won't have any more ideas for dates", she joked.

"I'll find something to do, always", he assured her, fingering her long hair.

"Hm. You know something Shikamaru?"

"Hn?"

"I really missed this, I mean us, you know?" she confessed, drawing patterns on his beige pants.

"Yeah. I missed us too. We won't be apart again though."

"You say that so confidently. B-but you don't know."

"I know."

"No one knows."

"I do. You'll always be here", he stated, almost childishly while patting the spot on his chest his heart was under. She giggled at his frivolous actions and took his free hand in hers. She pressed it to her mouth and kissed his hand firmly. He allowed her to play with his long fingers and moved the hand that was finger combing her hair to her shoulder, slowly caressing the soft skin.

"Okay, Ino", he said softly. "It's time for the next part of the date."

She pouted childishly, signalling that she did not want to leave this place.

"Come on, Ino", he said, pushing her figure off of his lap.

...

Ino fumbled as she attempted to walk, blindfolded.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked.

"Just shut up and let me take you there."

"Where?!"

"Ino!"

"Just tell me where!"

"The fact I haven't told you yet means I don't want you to know!"

"You know I hate surprises."

"Shut up, you've always liked surprises."

"Nuh-uh!"

"Troublesome woman."

"What did you call me?!"

"... Terrific."

"You loser."

"Yeah, yeah", he chuckled. "Okay, we're here"

"Are you going to take off this blindfold or?..."

"Will you be patient?" He huffed, untying the blindfold. As the silky material slid off of her face, Ino saw the destination. 'Their' section of the Nara forest was completely transformed.

"Wow", she mouthed. The darkness that was enveloping the sky was countered by the hundreds of candles Shikamaru had lit beforehand. There lay a blanket that he was already sitting on, covered in rose petals and he motioned for her to join. She staggered over to him, completely captivated by the mystical aura the candles gave their old secret meeting place. "How did you do all this?" she asked, not expecting an answer as she lowered herself on the blanket and bean toying with the petals surrounding her.

"I know that it's not quite what you want, with fancy wining and dining but I wanted to make this date personal. I wanted to incorporate our past, present and future", he said, quoting the Uchiha. She shook her head in disbelief.

"How could you think even for a minute this isn't what I want? Shikamaru, this is perfect."

He pulled her in between his legs and kissed the top of her head lightly. His arms cocooned around her torso and he slightly squeezed his legs together to completely envelope her. " I hope", he said as his thumbs drew circles on her arms, "that you don't think I didn't get you a gift, though."

She gasped, not expecting any sort of gift from the date tonight. "What did you get me?" she asked, slightly worried at how much money he must have spent on her tonight.

"I'll show you later tonight."

She nodded her was in agreement and for once, listened to what he told her outside of a mission. Putting the thought of the present out of her mind, she snuggled closer to his warm body, feeling the strength in his chest and arms and the love radiating from him. They sat in silence for hours, simply enjoying one another's company. She looked up and saw that the sky had fully transformed into night and noticed that even some candles were dying out.

"It's getting late Shikamaru."

"You're right", he agreed, freeing her from his affectionate hold and rising from his seated position. He put his hand out as if to tell her to stay seated. He slowly closed his eyes and mouthed some words Ino could barely make out. He nodded his head and coughed to clear whatever may have been lodged in his throat.

"Ino, I'm going to give you your present now", he said, taking deeper-than-usual breaths. She nodded and waited patiently as he collected himself. His hands fiddled with the object in his pocket and he finally opened his mouth to speak. " Yamanaka Ino. I... I had a whole speech prepared for this particular situation but I... I forgot it. So now I think ill just keep it simple and short, the way I normally say things. I love you, Yamanaka Ino. You're smart, kind-hearted and without a doubt the most beautiful woman I know. But none of those reasons are why I love you. I love you because you're you. You're the only one who I willingly do anything for. You motivate me with your never ending nagging and troublesome attitude and calm me down with your calm side. I don't know what I would do without your love and this made seem sudden to you but", he rambled, kneeling to the ground. "Yamanaka Ino... Will you marry me?" He took out a simple yet elegant ring out of the pocket of his pants and held it out in from of her. Her already big eyes seemed to have doubled in size at the sight of the ring so close to her. "Are you serious?" she asked, still shocked.

"I've never been more serious. I don't think I could take losing you again."

"Um..."

* * *

Thanks so much for putting up with my recently late updates but the fic is almost over and I'm running out of ideas of how to keep the plot going! Feedback and suggestions are greatly appreciated!


	15. Chapter 15

I'm sorry guys I really didn't like what I wrote yesterday when I re-read it today, I wrote it when I was half asleep and I guess it shows but I'm going to re-do it so this is it. This is hopefully better!

* * *

"Are you okay, Ino?" Shikamaru asked, avoiding her gaze.

"Eh? I just- This is so... sudden?"

"Sudden is one word for it, I guess."

"Yeah, yeah it is. How long have you wanted to do this?"

"Propose?"

"Well that's sort of the biggest thing that's happened today, isn't it?"

"Don't start with the sarcasm, Ino. It's been a while."

"A while?"

"Yeah, a while."

"How long of a while?"

"A few-"

"Days?"

"Really?"

"Weeks?"

"Longer."

"Months?!"

"Years."

"Years?"

"Years."

"Years... But you never-"

"I know."

"But why?"

"I've always been a coward, I guess."

"Yeah, you have", she agreed, eyes closed and head nodding in agreement.

"Rubbing salt in the wound, I see."

"I'll be doing that a lot, you know."

"What do you mean?"

"When we're married."

"Are you saying yes?"

"Well I didn't say no, now did I?"

He grinned at her response. "Yeah but Ino, that doesn't mean anything."

She squinted her eyes at him. "Okay, do it again."

"Do what again?!"

"The proposal."

"Why?"

"I'll give you an answer this time."

"Ino, will you marry me?"

"On one knee."

"What?!"

"Do it right, Shikamaru!"

"This is so troubles-"

"You think I'm troublesome?!"

"N-no! I just-"

"Do what I tell you, Shikamaru!"

"You're like my mom."

"Good. On your knee now. You're proposing to a lady", she clarified, smoothing out her dress.

He plopped himself down to one knee and held the ring in front of him. Looking deep in her eyes, he asked, "Yamanaka Ino, will you do me the honor of accepting my proposal and marrying me?"

"I guess if you really want me to that bad, I have no choice", she said, brushing her shoulder off as if he asked her to help him move his couch, desperately trying to keep herself under control. As she peeped at him through the corners of her eyes, she completely broke the aloof mask she was trying to maintain. "Of course I'll marry you!" she exclaimed, lunging her body towards his. Her arms captured him in a suffocating hug, refusing to let loose.

"The ring, the ring" he motioned to her hand as his face began to turn red from lack of oxygen.

"Right!" she reminded herself and sat herself on her calves, arm extended, giving him the permission to slide the ring on her finger. He complied and slowly glided the white gold hoop around her dainty finger. She squealed, snatching her hand back from him and examined the ring. Her eyes sparkled as she fondled over the piece of jewelery she now owned. "It's so beautiful", she cooed to no one in particular, twisting her hand to different angles in an attempt to examine every possible crevice of the ring. "Oh, Shikamaru!" she yelled, wrapping her arms around him, "thank you." He kissed the top of her head and smiled at her response. "No, thank you", he murmured.

She looked at him with expecting eyes and grabbed his large hand, guiding him over to the tree with the carvings, sitting down in front of it.

"Shikamaru and Ino", she whispered to the air.

"Forever, ne?"

"Hm", she agreed, cuddling her head into the crook of his neck, still staring at the childish writing on the tree. "There's something I've wanted to do for a while now, Shikamaru."

"What's tha-" he was cut off by her crashing lips. She backed away, staring at him questioningly. He opened his eyes slowly, unaware of what to do. "You should really do that more often", he suggested, biting his lower lip. She giggled and threw her upper body against his, kissing him intently, as if to make up for lost time. She backed away again, and knelt on the ground, motioning to him to do the same. He followed silent orders and mimicked her position. Slowly, she pulled the strap of her dress down past her shoulder. His eyebrow raised, questioning her motives. She took a deep breath and pulled the other side down as well. He nodded his head to show he understood and peeled his shirt off. Looking him up and down, she tugged her dress lower until her torso was exposed. He unbuttoned his pants. She slid the dress past her butt, letting it drop to the ground. The beige pants crumpled together at his knees. Simultaneously, they dropped to the ground and shimmied off the articles of clothing off their bodies. Silently, they eyed each other.

"Cute boxers", Ino joked, only to be attacked by Shikamaru's body flinging towards her. She put up no fight, letting him pin her down to the grass and staring into his eyes, illuminated only slightly from the few remaining candles. He swooped his head down and pressed his lips against hers, using his legs to separate hers, allowing him sufficient room to place himself between her. She broke the kiss and signaled him to move on to her neck, taking in his musty smell. She knew his scent all too well after so many years spent together. Her hands wrestled with the hair ties that kept both their manes under control, jerking them away from the locks they tamed as he created a trail of red marks from her neck to in between her breasts. Her flesh rose as he traced patterns on her bust with his controlled tongue. As he completely enclosed her nipple with his mouth, she dug her long nails into his sensitive skin. He hissed at her action and tensed his muscles in response. She relaxed her grip on him and mouthed "I'm sorry". He smirked at her politeness and lowered his head back down onto her delicate body, continuing his previous actions.

She contorted her body into positions he had never imagined before with every right move he made and guided her with her body when she wanted something more. Wrapping her long legs around his waist, she flipped him over, assuming the dominant position. She mimicked his previous conduct and began sucking furiously on the tanned skin on his neck, moving lower towards his chest. Her hands roamed free, massaging his strong arms and caressing his back. Occasionally, she would grind herself into him, eliciting a low groan from his mouth. He brushed her long blond hair to the side farthest away from him, giving him a clear view of her face as she focused solely on him. The sweat beading all over her body caused the golden locks to seemingly stick eternally to her back. He noticed the marks he left behind on her torso darkening already and the path that her made with his mouth still fresh with saliva. He raised himself off of the ground, bringing her up with him. One leg entwined itself with hers as he squeezed her, bringing her closer to him. She began grinding against him as he held her off of the ground.

In response, he slammed her back to the tree, letting her slide down the tree slightly, noting that the action must have left many miniscule scratches on her perfect backside, due to the rough bark. She threw her head back in a mixture of ecstasy and pain as he entered her slowly. As he pumped into her, she felt every muscle in her body tense and relax simultaneously. She didn't understand what was happening to her normally strong body, particularly her legs, which would not cease shaking from the pleasure she felt. Her stomach became knotted and as she advances further towards her objective, the knots became tighter and tighter. Around her she noticed the articles of clothing they threw away from themselves, which were so disheveled that she smiled, thinking that he waited just as long as she did for this. She felt herself lose control of her muscles as her eyes rolled back into her head and the knots in her stomach imploded.

Euphoria.


	16. Chapter 16

He woke up to a small slap on his cheek.  
"Mm Ino", he moaned tiredly, clutching on to the body pressed against him.  
"Not exactly."  
"Huh?" he asked, rubbing his eyes violently. "Mom?! What are you doing here?!" He whispered angrily.  
"You two sure make the fair amount of noise."  
"Mom!" he retaliated, searching the environment for his clothing.  
"Oh stop it, it's nothing I haven't seen before. You are my son, after all."  
"What are you doing here?"  
"I need to feed the deer! This forest is not all yours, Shikamaru."  
"This is so embarrassing."  
"Don't worry, I assumed such a thing would happen. Ill be out of here in a few minutes I just have a question for you", Yoshino explained, fiddling with the bucket of food for the deer.  
"Hm?" He questioned, reaching for his pants and attempting to cover his body.  
"So, am I getting grandchildren now?"  
He stared at her, shocked at the question. "W-what?"  
"I'm getting old, Shikamaru. I want grandchildren!"  
"I-I'm not sure about that, mom. But... I proposed to her last night."  
"What?! That's wonderful!" Yoshino yelled, causing Ino to stir. At that moment, Shikamaru thanked God Ino was such a heavy sleeper. He walked towards his mother and placed his hand on her back, leading her to a more secluded place in the forest.  
"Mom, I have to ask you something now."  
"Hm? Oh, yes, anything at all!"  
"Do you think dad would be happy to see me like this?"  
"L-like this? What do you mean?"  
"I mean me marrying Ino, becoming a jounin. Do you think he'd be proud of me?"  
"Oh sweetie", Yoshino said with a choked voice, stroking her sons cheek. "He... Would be so proud of you."  
Shikamaru raised his hand to grasp hers an placed it on his mouth, kissing it gently. "Love you, mom." He said through a small smile.

"Wake up, Ino."  
"Neh."  
"Ino."  
"Heh."  
"Wake up."  
"Blah."  
"Wake."  
"No."  
"Up."  
"Hmmm."  
"Wake up, Ino!"  
"You're so... Troublesome", she mumbled, turning over and covering her ear. He smiled at her choice of words.  
"Is that a spider?"  
"What?! Spi-Where?!" Ino exclaimed, swatting herself in random places on her body.  
"Nice to see you woke up", he said smugly.  
"I hate you", she replied, scanning the area for her dress.  
"Yeah, I know, I know."  
"What time is it?"  
"Around 10."  
"Good sleep."  
"Yeah, you really passed out after last night."  
"Oh I'm sure I wasn't the only one."  
"Nope, you weren't", he laughed.  
"Where is my dress?"  
"I hung it on the tree branch."  
"Oh, okay", she responded. As she reached for the clothing that hung on the branch, she saw the ring decorating her finger. "Oh yeah!" she exclaimed as she slid the dress over her head and proceeded to walk over to Shikamaru, "I almost forgot you proposed to me yesterday. See Shikamaru, now you'll have to deal with me all the time", she purred, rubbing his scratched back.  
"Mm, yeah, I guess I officially have to now", he moaned.  
"Are you alright with that?"  
"A little more than alright with it."  
"Good to know you can stomach me."  
"Just barely, don't be getting too cocky", he joked. She pressed her still slightly swollen lips against his and smiled against the kiss.  
"Wait!" Ino exclaimed, pulling away from the kiss. "Did you say it's 10?!"  
"A little past that now, why?"  
"Ah shit, I have training with my team."  
"What time?"  
"At 8."  
"You have tons of time."  
"Actually, I'm late. They're going to be so mad at me! I'm always lecturing about being on time and now I'm late! Especially Itachi, ugh he's just like Sasuke, I'll never lie down being late just once."  
"I'll bring my team."  
"Well that's very nice but see that doesn't help my problem."  
"Itachi likes Kushina."  
"What?! Really?!"  
"I think so. I mean, when I was talking to Sasuke-"  
"Why were you talking to Sasuke?"  
"Oh... Nevermind that. I'll get my team to come, yeah?"  
"Hm, yeah", she agreed, holding on to Shikamaru's rough hand. They walked towards the exit of the Nara forest when Shikamaru suddenly spoke.  
"You think Itachi's like Sasuke? I thought he was more like Sakura."  
"What? No! Billboard brow is nosy. Itachi is definitely like Sasuke, he is very detached and proper."  
"Huh. I guess he really is a mix of them both."  
"What do you mean?"  
"Just... Something Itachi told me a few days ago."  
"You're not making any sense."  
"I'll go get Kushina and them."  
"Um, okay? Oh! We meet at the hill!"  
"We'll be there!"

* * *

Hey guys I'm so sorry for not updating I have this terrible fever. All the same, thank you for the reviews, favs and follow, it means so much to me! about if you haven't read the updated chapter 15 then go on and read that, I think it's much better than before! Also give me more feedback as to whether or not you Gus want me to write about the kids or not! You are all so awesome thank you for following this story, it's almost over but I'll be writing other stories!


	17. Chapter 17

"Itachi will be there" Shikamaru explained to the young blonde before him.

"It's our day off, Sensei! I don't want to train today!"

"You have to, Kushina."

"No, I don't. You promised Ino-Sensei something under the wrong impression that we wanted to train today."

The lazy jounin was at a loss for words. He sighed heavily as he whispered, "I thought you liked Itachi too, Kushina."

"What?" the young kunoichi blurted. "Who told you that?! Was it Ayame?! I knew she couldn't keep a secret!"

"So you do like Itachi!"

"Ugh, Sensei. I don't think I can-"

"He likes you too", Shikamaru quickly interrupted. Kushina stared blankly at her teacher, unable to form words. "You don't have to train today, just be there."

"All this hassle for Ino-Sensei? How long did it take to find me?"

"You're Naruto's daughter, you're always at the ramen stand."

She eyed him suspiciously before pushing always her bowl of ramen and letting out a great sigh. "After today, you're buying me ramen for the rest of the week."

"Let's just go", Shikamaru said smiling while patting the young girl on the head. She huffed and looked longingly back at the bowl of ramen.

...

As Kushina kicked a lone pebble before her, she processed the situation she was being put in. "Shikamaru-Sensei?"

"Hn? Yeah, Kushina?"

"Since we're doing this for Ino-Sensei, does that mean you two aren't fighting anymore?"

"Yeah."

"What happened?"

"I can't tell you, you're my student."

"What?! That's crazy! I'm part of the reason why you got that date in the first place!"

"Maybe later, Kushina."

"The rules about keeping relationships secret are stupid. I'm your student. Please, Shikamaru-Sensei?!" Kushina begged, her long blonde hair swooshing excitedly with every turn of her head. Shikamaru looked at her, and found himself in the rare situation where he did not know how to handle the conflict before him.

"Okay, look", he began, squatting to level his eyes with her light orbs. "Ino and I are getting married but it's best if you keep it quiet just until we tell our friends and-"

"Cha! Ino and Shikamaru are getting married?! Who told you, Tenten?!" a voice from the distance screeched.

"Is that Sakura-San?" Kushina asked.

"I... I think so", Shikamaru replied, rubbing his temple at the sudden yell.

"Sounds to me like Ino-Sensei totally disregards your rules of secrecy."

"She always has."

"You know, Shikamaru-Sensei? You and Ino-Sensei are pretty cute together. I'm glad we made it our mission to get you two to realize it", Kushina stated as she walked before her lazy teacher. Shikamaru raised his eyebrow questioningly at the young girl strutting before him, resembling her father all too much. He reached before him and smacked the girl's large head.

"What was that for?!"

"Let this be a lesson to never trick your Sensei into doing anything ever again. I have to admit though, this one time... It worked out perfectly."

...

Ino looked at the ground shamefully as young Uchiha walked in circles around her, green eyes squinting.

"You're late, Ino-Sensei."

"I swear I have a good reason", she defended herself.

"We've been waiting here for hours!"

"I know, I know. I'm sorry?"

"You're always lecturing us about being tardy, Ino-Sensei. I never took you for a hypocrite."

"I'm not! I was... Otherwise preoccupied."

"With what?!"

"I... Can't tell you guys."

"Excuses!", Itachi boomed, hands placed on his hips. Ino looked at his macho pose, scrunching her eyebrows together at the sight. She straightened her neck to look above him and flicked the young Uchiha's forehead lightly.

"Don't" she began, pressing a finger at the spot where she flicked,"yell at your Sensei, Itachi."

"Kya, Shikamaru-Sensei! You have to buy me ramen all week!", Kushina exclaimed, somewhere in the distance.

"Is Kushina coming today?!" Itachi blurted, causing his face to turn a crimson red.

"Hm, why? Do you like Kushina?" Ino asked, eyebrow raising.

"What?! No! That's crazy."

"We always used to joke that an Uzumaki and an Uchiha would get together."

"What do you mean?" Itachi questioned, searching his brain for a possible answer.

"You and Kushina should kiss", she suggested, ignoring his previous inquiry.

"What?! No! I'm not interested in girls right now! Why should we kiss?!"

Ino fought back a snicker as she murmured, "spitting images of your fathers."

"Okay listen, Shikamaru-Sensei. You're buying me ramen", the voice got closer.

"Exactly how much do you think Jounins make, Kushina? Ramen every day twice a day for a week is too much for me to spend on you."

"A favour for a favour."

"That's it, you're training today, as well."

"What?!"

"You're the most troublesome genin, Kushina!"

"You're the most troublesome Sensei!"

"Those words don't hurt me", Shikamaru explained as he shrugged his shoulders. When he noticed Ino and her genins, he patted the young blonde's back. "Ten laps around the forest on your hands!" Shikamaru ordered. As Ino fought back a laugh, she proceeded to walk towards her fiancé.

"One night of sex and you turn into Gai-Sensei."

"I'm in a good mood, what can I say?" he explained, lazily wrapping an arm around her shoulders as he watched the genin struggle to walk on their hands with a smile.

"I hope you don't mind but I told Tenten about our engagement", Ino confessed after a long silence.

"I know. It's fine, they're all bound to find out", he assured her. "This does bring up one issue, though."

Ino raised one eyebrow in question,unaware of the issue he was referring to.

"When are you going to tell everybody else?"

"That's so simple, Shika!" Ino exclaimed, slapping the flak jacket he wore. "We'll have an engagement party!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, mentally reminding himself he hated parties. "How troublesome", he murmured, pulling Ino in closer to him, "but I'll put up with it."


	18. Chapter 18

"Tell us how it was!" Sakura exclaimed, nudging an overly-tired Ino.

"Heh? Tell you how what was?"

"The date, baka! Don't act like you don't know", Tenten exclaimed, kicking back a shot of sake.

"It was…"

"Amazing, right? You liked his outfit, ne?" Sakura interrupted, quickly referring to the aspect she aided with.

"No, no. The food was the best, wasn't it?" Tenten praised herself. "Except that mackerel…"

"Yeah I mean…"

"What did he say to you when he saw you?" Sakura blurted, not waiting for Ino's response to her previous question.

"Did he say the speech like he practiced? I was so scared when I walked in on him and Naruto practicing it", Hinata explained. The girls shared a round of laughter as Tenten ordered another round of shots. Ino giggled to herself as she recalled the previous night, muting the daunting questions that exploded from the females surrounding her.

"Let us see the ring!" they all chimed in unison.

Ino immediately recollected herself and plastered a large grin on her face. She hummed a tune as her fingers walked her hand out towards the middle of the table. She spread her fingers wide to allow the kunoichi's to bask in the glory of the band she wore around her thin finger

"Wow. Naruto never got me that nice of a ring" Hinata sulked, grabbing onto Ino's hand to more closely examine the ring.

"He told me he wanted to do this for years."

"Mm, I remember he was talking to Neji about it before the war", Tenten murmured. Ino furrowed her eyebrows sadly and looked at her friend who still had not gotten over the loss of her comrade and lover.

"With Neji Nii-San?" Hinata asked quietly.

"Yeah. You know, even though Neji acted as though he wasn't interested in love, I think he really knew his stuff", Tenten replied, a sad smile gracing her face. "At least you know he wasn't lying about how long he's wanted to do this!"

Ino let out a raspy laugh and squeezed her friend's hand as a means of comforting her.

"We're all so happy for you, Ino-Pig."

"Really happy, Ino!" Hinata agreed, clapping her hands together.

"Yeah!" Tenten rebounded from her momentary state of depression. "So," she began as she raised her hand to signal for another round of sake. "When's the bachelorette party?" she asked, a mischievous look on her face.

…

"This is great!" Itachi exclaimed as he slammed his palm on the ground in excitement,

"It couldn't have turned out to be more perfect!" Kouga agreed, petting Shiromaru lovingly.

"Mhm! Your plan worked, you guys! I have to say, I thought it would have the opposite affect…"

"We know, Ayame", Kushina interrupted. "You're always the negative one in the group.

"More of a realist, Kushina! You really think your extravagant plans would work out without me to set them straight? I am the strategist of the group, after all."

"I think you just need to have faith sometimes, Ayame."

"I think she had plenty of faith to go out with me", Kouga intervened, seeing a fuming Ayame growing more and more impatient with the loud-mouthed blonde before her. "Maybe you need some faith too, Kushina!"

"What do you mean?!" the hyperactive kunoichi snapped, eyed widened at the wolvish boy before her.

"Yeah!" Itachi stated, squinting one of his bright green eyes at the boy he considered to be his best friend.

"I just… Wow, if you two don't know by now, I don't know what to tell you."

"You two are so oblivious", Ayame added, leaning into a still-small Shiromaru.

A blush crept on Kushina's face as she tried desperately to change the subject.

"So, Shikamaru-Sensei and Ino-Sensei are together", Itachi began recapping the news of the day. "They're getting married. We better have some kind of spot in the wedding. It wouldn't have happened at all if not for our brilliant planning."

"Exactly!" Kouga yelled, causing Ayame to jump in her spot. "We better be one of the groomsmen, ne Itachi?"

"We can be flower girls!" Kushina exclaimed, grabbing onto Ayame's hand. The brunette giggled at the thought and nodded her head violently, ringlets swaying everywhere.

…

"How was she?" Naruto asked eagerly, a smug look veiling his features.

"I don't know what you mean", Shikamaru lied, brushing off the inappropriate question.

"Uh huh, I'm sure, I'm sure!" the blond continued, elbowing the lazy mans side. "Come on now, is Ino-chan lots of fun? I get the impression that she'd be into kinky stuff, you know? Does she take charge? What am I saying, it's you. A bunny could take charge over your lazy ass."

Shikamaru twitched at the mention of his laziness, closing his eyes to calm himself down.

"Don't you have a wife?" Sasuke intervened, raising an eyebrow at the riled blond.

"Eh? Yeah! But you know, I've heard that creativity is the key to a healthy relationship so you know, maybe Shikamaru does something with Ino-chan we've never even thought of!"

"That's so inappropriate, you dope." Saskue stated calmly, pushing his hair back.

"Listen here, Sasuke, I'm trying to keep the romance alive in my marriage", Naruto reasoned. "So, Shikamaru? How is Ino-Chan under the covers? Is she a freak in the sheets?"

Sasuke let out an exhausted sigh, not understanding how such questions entered one's mind.

"Look Naruto. This is totally invading my privacy", Shikamaru stated, pouting his lower lip accordingly.

"I'm completely aware of that", Naruto replied, mouth slightly gaped as he waited for an answer from the lazy ninja.

Shikamaru stared at the blond man before him and questioned how he ever became Hokage with such a childish attitude. He poured a shot of sake down his throat and turned to the longtime friend.

"She was fucking awesome!" he rejoiced.

* * *

Woo! I finally got around to updating this fanfiction! I'm sorry guys, I have exams coming up next month and I really need to get my butt in gear but I'll try to update more frequently! Thank you for the reviews, follows and favs! I love you all!

**Read, Review, Follow, Fav**

**It all keeps me going!**


	19. Chapter 19

Hey guys! I just wanted to clear some stuff up in regards to timeline of their relationship and whatnot just in case you don't understand! So after Sasuke left the village, Shikamaru and Ino started dating. He broke up with her right before Asuma dies. It's right before the war, when they aren't together, that they lose their virginities to one another. Shikamaru didn't tell anyone since he is a very private character and rarely tells the details of his personal life. Because of that, no one knows that they lost their virginities to each other back then, no one ever thought about it and that's why Naruto asked Shikamaru last chapter! I hope that makes a little more sense now. Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

"Hn, Ino. Get up", Shikamaru grumbled as he shook the blonde before him. She let out a low groan and opened one cerulean eye slightly.

"What do you want?"

"We have to meet Naruto", he explained calmly, slipping on his regular black pants.

"No, he's your friend, not mine", she grumbled, hiding her eyes behind her hands.

"As the Hokage, not as our friend."

"We have a mission?" she asked in a sleepy voice.

"I guess so."

"Mm… Maybe he wants to congratulate us on getting engaged."

"At 7 in the morning? I don't think so."

"I think we can sleep for a while longer, Shika."

"Just get up, Ino!" he yelled, throwing a pillow at her face.

…

He took lazy strides and kept behind Ino's strutting. Hands stuffed in his pockets, he lightly kicked her butt and provocatively raised an eyebrow at her.

"Baka! I just washed these shorts!" she yelled at him, patting the dirt off of her tight shorts.

"I'm just trying to be cute."

"Go be cute elsewhere! Ugh, I'm going to have this footprint on me all day. Damn it, Shikamaru!"

"Maybe men will know not to flirt with you. I've marked you as mine, babe."

"I would've thought that would be too troublesome for you", she whispered, blushing slightly.

"Yeah it is pretty troublesome, but I said I'd try harder, didn't I?"

"What a romantic you are", she growled, quickening her pace. '**That's** what he considers trying harder?' she thought to herself, balling her fists.

He took note of her changed tone and went through all the possible things he may have said wrong. "Ino? Ino? What did I do?" he asked, transforming his strut from a lazy drag to a brisk walk. "I'm sorry!" he shouted, not knowing what he apologized for.

"Whatever, Shikamaru."

He stopped his walking and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Hey, stupid girl!" he yelled at her.

She twitched at his words and slowly turned to face a very smug Shikamaru. "What?" she snapped, arms akimbo.

"Come here."

"You can come here", she explained, sticking her nose in the air. He pouted and sighed once he concluded that there would be no other way to get her to forgive him. He stepped towards her, never taking his stare off of her. Standing before her, he could feel the huffing of her breath on his chest.

"Ino", he began.

"Hn?"

Shikamaru gently lifted her head up to face him, causing her eyes to melt into his. "You're so dumb."

"Is that how you treat a lady, Shikamaru?!"

"Shut up, let me finish. Why do you seem to think that you can run away from me? I'll always be here, Ino. Always."

At his words, she felt the anger she had dwindle down. She smiled and turned away from him, grabbing a hold of his large hands and leading him forwards. Suddenly, he felt a strong kick to his groin. Cupping it immediately, he looked at Ino, who giggled softly, with confusion.

"Just marking you as mine, **baby**."

…

"Eh…" Naruto began, staring at the very obvious footprint on Shikamaru's dark pants. The lazy ninja sighed heavily and urged the blond to continue.

"So, I have a mi… Um, wait. Can you just explain why you have a footprint on your junk?"

"Let it go, Naruto", Shikamaru said, frustrated with the amount of time the briefing was taking.

"I was just curious, jeez. Anyways, I have a mission for you two."

"What mission?" Ino asked quickly.

"If you let me finish, I would've told you by now, Ino-Chan", Naruto explained matter-of-factly. "It's quite simple, just an espionage mission. Sorry to distract from your lovey-dovey mood right now but it shouldn't take long. One, two days, maximum. You can go ask Sasuke for the details of the mission, he'll explain it to you and hand you the folder."

They turned simultaneously, following the orders Naruto had given them. Shikamaru felt a sudden hit to his head and turned to face the silly shinobi. _When you're on the mission, _Naruto mouthed, then proceeded to veil his face with a seductive look and began thrusting into the air. Shikamaru rolled his eyes and swiftly walked out the door and shut it behind him.

"Psh", Naruto scoffed. "I was giving him permission to do what he really wanted to do. What an idiot."

…

"This seems like an easy mission", Ino stated, flipping through the papers for the fifth time.

Shikamaru nodded his head as he continued to stare up at the clouds, feet seemingly walking on their own.

"Miss beautiful?" a voice came from ahead of him.

'Funny', Shikamaru thought, 'that sounds just like Sai. He's still on his mission to Su-'

"Sai!" Ino screeched and ran towards the handsome man before them. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheeks lightly. "Wow Sai, look at you. You look pretty good, I see the years have been good for you! How have you been? Why are you back in Konoha?!"

"I just have to check in, I'm leaving soon. You look beautiful as always, Ino."

Shikamaru clicked his tongue against his teeth from the disgust with the man before him. He eyed Ino, careful to read her body language. 'He's not even that special. Why is she acting like a little girl around him?' he thought to himself.

"I heard your mission was going well. In Suna, right?!" Ino asked cheerfully.

"It is going well! Yes, Suna. I truly think I might ask Naruto for permission to stay there! The calm atmosphere really inspires me with my art."

'Pft, art?' Shikamaru inwardly growled, furrowing his eyebrows at Ino's back.

"Shikamaru-San!" Sai's voice rang.

"Hn, hi Sai."

"How is everything with you?"

"Good", the lazy ninja repeated bluntly, turning away from the artist.

"Oh... Okay" Sai sighed deeply. "Listen, Miss beautiful! For the short time I'm here, it would be my pleasure to take you on a date!"

Before Ino could speak, Shikamaru interjected in an annoyed tone.

"No Sai, you can't take Ino on a date. See, we're engaged now. So if you could just go on and finish your checkup with Naruto... You can leave now, Sai."

"Wait. You and Miss. Beautiful are dating?"

"Engaged."

"Sorry. Engaged?"

"Yes, we are", Shikamaru said proudly, slightly sticking his chest out to appear more manly.

"Well", Sai began, smiling as always. "It's about time!"

* * *

There you are! For those of you who wanted to see some jealous Shikamaru! I hope you all like it! Tell me whyou else you'd like to see! The mission is coming up next chapter!

**Read, Review, Follow & Fav. **


	20. Chapter 20

He stared at her as she packed their bags for the mission. Her long blonde hair was tied up in a messy bun on top of her head and she had decided to torture him in wearing his far too oversized shirt. Just his shirt. His eyes roamed her body intriguingly, fantasizing how she looked under the offending fabric.  
"Alright," she exclaimed, patting her hands together and bouncing into a standing position, only to cause the shirt to slightly shift. "I think I got all the clothes we need as well as food and water. Am I missing anything, Shikamaru?" Ino asked, zipping up their bags. He shook his head lazily and flung his head back, trying desperately to control himself. They had to be at the village gate in 20 minutes and he could not let his hormones get to him.  
"Eh... What's wrong, Shikamaru?" she asked as she sat on the edge of the bed, her eyebrow raised at him.  
"Hn? Oh, nothing, I just..." he trailed off as he noticed she made her way towards him. "What are you doing, Ino?" he asked with a gulp as she grazed her hand over his chest.  
She smiled innocently at him and shook her head slightly. "Nothing, Shikamaru. Why? Do you want me to do something?" she asked, her hot breath blowing on his neck as her fingers walked their way down his torso.  
His breath hitched as he let out a chuckle and arched his neck to allow for her easy access. Noticing this, she nipped the sensitive skin on his neck and simultaneously unbuttoned his pants quickly.  
"Mm Ino, we... We have to... In 20 minutes..." he attempted to reason as his heart pumped furiously. He bit his lip as she gripped him firmly and let out a giggle.  
"Oh Shikamaru, this won't take 20 minutes", she assured him, lowering herself to her knees. A mischievous smile graced her face as she stared at his face and shimmied his pants down.  
He opened his eyed wide at the abrupt action and tried to wriggle himself out of her grip. "Mm, Ino..." he moaned, gripping onto her blonde hair. He mentally thanked her for placing it in a convenient bun and allowed his fingers to entwine into the golden locks. He could feel his blood rushing towards his lower regions and shuddered at her litte kisses on his abdomen.  
She stuck her tongue out playfully and traced designs on his stomach, slowly making her way lower and lower. Her fingers slipped under the band of his boxers and quickly pulled them down to free him from the torture of her teasing.  
As the fabric made its way down his legs, Shikamaru felt a freeing sensation. He tugged at her hair, urging her to put him out of his misery.  
She complied and licked his tip before emerging it in her mouth, sucking lightly. He threw his head back in an exasperated moan, causing his grip on her hair to tighten. He pushed her head towards him, causing her to take in more of his length.  
She moaned loudly, the vibrations of which caused a rush of blood to make its way to his shaft. She blew hot air unto him and pumped him quickly with her small hands. Immediately, she backed away from him and removed the large shirt, revealing her large breasts. She grabbed them and made her way back to him, placing his member between her breasts.  
He stared at her unbelievingly. He had never experienced something quite like this before and huffed at the sensation. He could feel he was close to his peak and saw she knew as well. Her seductively lidded cerulean eyes seemed more clouded than ever and her piercing stare bore holes into his skin.  
"D-don't stop", he stuttered, feeling his skin rise with every pump. The knots in his stomach tightened and finally, he felt them burst.  
She shut her eyes immediately to keep them safe from his explosion. Almost instinctively, she opened her mouth and aimed his member there. She licked her lips once he finished, smiling up at him.  
"Mm, Shikamaru?"  
"Yeah?" He groaned, smiling lazily.  
"We're late."

"You'll be explaining why were late for departing", Shikamaru ordered the blonde as they ran towards the village gates.  
"Like hell I will! Just tell them a lie, Shikamaru!"  
"It wasn't my idea that made us late."  
"No, but my idea made you happy. Now, you talk to them and tell them some bullshit about why were late!" Ino ordered.  
He stared at her, unable to think of a legitimate reason for her to provide a lie for their tardiness. "Fine", he sighed, pouting his lip.

"Hey, Naruto!" Ino exclaimed, a large smile plastered on her face.  
"You two are quite late", the blond stated matter-of-factly.  
"Uh, yeah... Ino burnt the food", Shikamaru murmured only to be greeted by a menacing look from the blonde woman beside him.  
"Classic Ino-Chan!" Naruto laughed, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Good luck on the mission, you two! We'll see you in a few days", he bid them farewell, patting both Jounin and started to walk away.  
"Oh, Ino-Chan!" he exclaimed, running back towards the blonde.  
"Ne, Naruto?"  
"You got a little... Um... Lets call it vanilla pudding on your chin."  
Inos eyes immediately gaped and she brought her hands up to her chin to hide the embarrassing residue.  
"It's okay, Ino-Chan. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. Shikamaru, you're pretty lucky, you know? Ever since the kids and whatnot, Hinata has barely... Burnt the food. Keep the cooking going for as long as you can!"  
Naruto let out a huge laugh at Shikamaru's smug expression in contrast to Ino's look of shock at his blunt advice and made way to walk away again.  
Almost as though it was a reflex, Ino punched the lazy ninja in the arm.  
"You're a fucking terrible liar", she complained, walking away and rubbing at her chin.  
"I- I told you, you should have thought of the excuse!"

I'm sorry about taking so long with this update, guys! I have my exams in two weeks but I managed to fit in some time to finish this chapter! Hopefully it won't take so long for the next update! Ill try and finish another tonight or tomorrow!  
I hope you enjoy, and yes, next chapter will have more jealous Shikamaru and hopefully a few funny moments!  
Read, review, follow and fav! I love you all!


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